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| Movie Review: 500 Days of Summer Alternate Title: A Summer Diversion
Story: I tend to run far away
from romantic comedies. They are usually filled with unchallenging formulaic
cliches and stereotypical eye-rolling behavior. However, this new film
by first time director Marc Webb (written by Scott
Neustadter and Michael H. Weber) caught my
attention via the previews. The film chronicles, in a non-linear fashion,
the ups and downs of the 500 day relationship between young Tom and
the apple of his eye, Summer. Tom, a would-be architect finds himself, instead,
writing for a greeting card company. He meets and is smitten by the
new employee, Summer. She, in no uncertain terms tells him she does
not want a boyfriend but one thing leads to another and the relationship
begins. It is told through Tom's eyes (and occasionally by the unnecessary
off camera narrator). The 'what-ifs' add to the non-linear storytelling. The film is charming, often funny and at times,
even creative. The main characters have chemistry and I cared about
what happened to them. Will I remember this movie? No - but it was a
pleasant summer diversion on a hot day. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsD0NpFSADM Acting: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a fine young actor.
I have been following his work for quite a while and he makes some interesting
serious film choices. He takes a break from that direction and it works
just fine. He is adorable, smart and guess what? He can dance. Zooey
Deschanel is the quirky go to girl for film makers these days.
She tends to play that role repeatedly. That said - she was charming
in this film.
Trivia: Joseph Gordon-Levitt took an acting break
and went to Columbia University in 2000. His maternal grandfather was
Michael Gordon, who directed such films as Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
and Pillow Talk (1959). Gordon's career was crippled when he was blacklisted
during the Red Scare of the mid-Twentieth Century. His parents are Jane
Gordon and Dennis Levitt, who met as activists in California. Gordon
ran for Congress in 1970. Zooey Deschanel was born
in 1980 into a showbiz family. Her father, Caleb Deschanel is an Academy
Award-nominated cinematographer (perhaps most notably for The Passion
of the Christ (2004)) and her mother, Mary Jo Deschanel (née
Weir) is an actress who starred in "Twin Peaks" (1990). She
was named for the male character in J.D. Salinger's "Franny and
Zooey".
Predilection: I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Critters: Photos of a cat
Food: Pancakes and sausages.
Sex Spectrum: No sex to speak about.
Blatant Product Placement: Ikea
Soundtrack: A delightful soundtrack that is toe tapping
worthy. There is a dance number when Tom first falls in love to the
tune of Hall and Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True."
Opening Titles: A montage of a young Tom and a young
Summer.
Visual Art: Some fun animation combined with reality
and some interesting architectural renderings.
Theater Audience: About 30 women and one guy. As
soon as the film faded to black almost everyone lit up their handheld
devices and at first I thought the theater was filled with fire flies
but it was just the lights from incoming e-mail and missed phone calls.
Weather: LA is warm and sunny.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: 0
Drift Factor: It was too short to drift much.
Predictability Level: You know from the outset that
the relationship is not going to work.
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: No
Big Screen or Rental: Rental would be fine. Joseph
Gordon-Levitt has appeared in some fine films. Check out his:
Miracle at St. Anna, Stop-Loss, The Lookout, Mysterious Skin
and a A River Runs Through It
Length: 90 minutes
LOBO HOWLS: 7
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