Film Review: (500) Days of Summer

In a lot of ways, (500) Days of Summer is another quirky movie about hipsters with indie music flying out its ears and over my head. That said, it's still charming, and I'll probably still download the soundtrack from iTunes. Vaguely echoing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (one of my favorites), (500) Days is a nonlinear story about a normal guy and an offbeat girl who just aren't right for each other. Tom, the protagonist, is especially enjoyable. He's respectful, talented, attractive, well-dressed, and a romantic. This is a welcomed contrast to the Seth Rogen, schlumpy man-child model.

Not only does Tom feel fresh and innocent, but so does the film itself. There's something oddly film-student about (500) Days, but not in a bad way. Between references to The Graduate, The Seventh Seal, and the French New Wave, and experimentation with narrative devices like split screen, animation, a musical number, and nonlinear structure, you can tell the filmmakers went to film school. And in a world of adolescent male fantasy movies (coughjuddapatow), it's nice to see the guys who did their homework succeed.

Finally, I hate to criticize the movie—because I really did enjoy it—but the one (and frankly, severe) problem with (500) Days is the enigmatic nature of Summer. She's a mystery and a code that cannot be cracked. We never learn anything about her, other than that she's cute, she likes The Smiths, and she's VERY stylish. She encourages Tom to achieve his dreams, but she doesn't have any of her own. Also, Summer's not very nice. Her actions are often unexplained: when she randomly breaks up with Tom, she wants to continue with breakfast, asserting that he's still her best friend. She's inconsiderate, and she leaves Tom (and us) with the sentiment that women will always break your heart. And I promise that's not true.

Don't get me wrong, (500) Days is a cute movie. But by day 501 I'm ready for another female character.