(500) Days of Summer

Featuring an all-too-rare leading-man turn from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer effortlessly establishes itself as one of the most entertaining and flat-out original romantic comedies to come around in quite some time – with the affable chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel certainly playing a significant role in the film’s ultimate success. The storyline follows Gordon-Levitt’s Tom as he meets and falls in love with Deschanel’s quirky Summer, with the bulk of the movie subsequently detailing the ups and downs of their relationship in as non-linear a fashion as one could possibly envision. Director Marc Webb has infused (500) Days of Summer with an irresistibly stylish sensibility that nicely complements Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber’s thoroughly creative screenplay, yet there’s little doubt that it’s the authenticity of the central character – as well as the strength of Gordon-Levitt’s performance – that initially draws the viewer into the proceedings. The actor does a superb job of transforming Tom – a character who could’ve easily come off as an indie douchebag in the wrong hands – into a seriously compelling, fully-fleshed out protagonist that the audience can’t help but root for, while Deschanel’s expectedly charming work ensures that Summer remains likeable even during the film’s darker interludes (ie as the narrator indicates at the outset, “this is not a love story”). The almost equal emphasis on comedy and drama is handled especially well by Webb, as the filmmaker does an effective job of balancing the movie’s lighthearted moments (eg a truly spectacular sequence in which Tom exuberantly walks to work after sleeping with Summer for the first time) – with those of a distinctly down-to-earth variety. The end result is a consistently engaging and uncommonly genuine romcom that’s as breezy as it is poignant, with the film’s note-perfect conclusion cementing its place as a natural successor to such above average predecessors as Say Anything… and Before Sunrise.

***1/2 out of ****