The romantic comedy gets deconstructed in the endearingly quirky (500) Days of Summer.
Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is a hopeless romantic who writes greeting cards for a living. Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is the new girl in the office, with whom he is immediately smitten.
Here’s the twist: We are told, right off the bat, that things will not end well for our young hero. “This is not a romantic comedy,” the droll voiceover informs us. Instead, this is a breakdown of one young man’s particular heartbreak, with an unusual storytelling device: Tom and Summer’s romance is recounted out of chronology.
Instead of being confusing, the conceit adds dimensions of humor and insight to the tale. We see Tom consummate his relationship with Summer—he’s so giddy, he imagines a little Gene Kelly-style song and dance number on the way work; followed immediately by Tom the morning after he’s been dumped, wearing the same outfit, only now it—and Tom himself—seems rumpled and deflated. We see the couple at IKEA, enjoying each other, being secretive and silly the way new couples do and then we see them having a nasty fight at a bar.
The director, Marc Webb, gets even more imaginative. In one scene, this is now after Tom and Summer have broken up, Tom is invited to a party at Summer’s house. The screen is divided in half: Tom’s Expectation’s vs. Tom’s Reality. You can only imagine which scenario has a sunnier outcome.
I loved this film so much, I’m willing to overlook some of its flaws: Summer’s character is never fully developed. She’s merely a fantasy object—but she’s also a kind of villain (the film’s opening credits give you a sense of how Webb really feels about her character). Not only does she stand for an unromantic view of life, but by the end, she crushes Tom quite cruelly.
Also, Webb  hints at the myriad possibilities of his format, but doesn’t quite fulfill them. Mostly, we see the highs and lows of Tom and Summer’s relationship. I would have loved to have seen some closer to the middle—the moments that subtly showed a breakdown in communication—when Summer no longer finds Tom’s jokes funny; or gets annoyed by his puppy-dog need to please.
However, assuming enough people will warm up to this unconventional charmer (and here’s hoping they will) this may be the film that finally makes Joseph Gordon Levitt a star. It would be ironic, in a way, because after his childhood role in 3rd Rock From the Sun, he’s studiously built a career on dark and edgy characters. Playing a more conventional role allows him to show off his goofy charm and angular good looks. You absolutely root for—and fall in love with—Tom.
And I suppose that’s the point. This movie is about one young man and his own date with romantic destiny. Perhaps Summer was never meant to be fully fleshed out—she should get her own stinkin’ movie, Webb  might say. But somehow, (500) Days of Tom just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

For my complete review of (500) Days of Summer, check out the August issue of Baltimore.