Fillm Review's

'(500) Days of Summer'

This is not a love story, as is made abundantly clear from the start with comical introductory title card's preparing us for what's to come. Instead, '500 Days' chooses to turn what we've come to expect from a more traditional rom-com on its head by highlighting many aspects that would be pushed aside in less original romantic fare.

The film darts about in discontinuity as we follow Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and the titular Summer (Zooey Deschannel) showcasing the up's and down's of their growing relationship over 500 days. From the excitement and energy of new love, the expectation of new beginnings and the promise of change, to the inevitable hate filled separations. Deschannel uses her quirky beauty and eyes you could just drown in to full effect, her brutally honest belief that love is fantasy becomes the main obstacle which Levitt must overcome to convince her that fate and destiny do exist.

Part love song, part fairytale, each fleeting moment is wonderfully and hilariously captured. From the excitement of finding out they love the same music to holding hands on a trip to IKEA which turns into a playful adventure, sharing stories they've never voiced with anyone else and shower sex to familiar places carrying new, depressing filled meaning and trips to the local shop in your dressing gown. The ingenious script by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber is brilliantly realized as the story unfolds in a series of broken chapters which allow us to compare the highs and lows in an realistic and often laugh out loud way - you WILL be playing a game of who can shout the loudest as soon as you venture out in public! What makes this long told tale stand out from an ongoing crowd of generic love stories is the fact that this time it's the guy who believes in fate and love while the girl "isn't really looking for anything serious"!

First time director pop-promo Marc Webb get's to experiment with a whole host of stylistic choices to render the action and externalize what's going on in our protagonist's mind, from on screen graphics to sub movies that rift on Fellini - even Harrison Ford as Han Solo makes a motivational guest appearance. Some work very well like the impromptu song and dance routine (ala Get Over It) the morning after Tom finally get's to spend the night with the girl of his dreams, or the way in which split screen is used to simultaneously play out a scene of expectation Vs reality which is both highly inventive and perfectly executed. On the other hand an annoying omniscient narrator, which luckily get's lost along the way, and the addition of yet another wise old sage in the body of a child, feel slightly out of place.

Tom get’s most of the screen time it's a shame it's not spread more evenly to allow us more incite into Summer's way of thinking. But it's down to some great performances from both leads, Levitt in particular, that the film remains grounded, not once making you cringe by becoming overly sentimental. And although the majority of the film manages to stay unpredictable it's a pity a few end scenes feel a little more expected and mainstream.

With a new wave of first time directors bursting onto the scene with some stunning debut features - Eran Creevy's 'Shifty', Neill Blomkamp's 'District 9' and now Marc Webb with '500 Days' - it's an exciting and promising time for filmmakers and film lovers alike. '500 Days' is an original, honest and incredibly funny film about how love effect’s us, other people, and ultimately - for good or bad - can change the course of our lives forever.

Is love just fantasy, you decide.

****