Review of (500) Days of Summer (2009) by Dave H — 28 Jun 2013

Any film where a geeky guy looks into a window reflection and sees Han Solo winking back is going to have a massive headstart for me. But this is a wonderful film in other ways too. It sorta tricks you into thinking it's a rom-com, but it actually far more honest.

It's more a journey of individual self-discovery - a guy falling in love with someone who doesn't with him, and needing to come to terms with that. Almost indie-like in it's aversion to formula, it's clever because of fun touches like Han Solo and the dancing sequence and the expectations/reality split screen bit - but mostly because the non-sequential chronology of "days" both keeps us guessing narratively and varies the emotional beats, not allowing the story to wallow in depression that lead character Tom indulges in.

The support cast bring most of the laughs, and the two leads bring most of the whimsy and sentiment. My main problem with it isn't Tom's descent into depression, but the way he's led-by-the-nose in the relationship from the beginning - the character is pure jelly most of the film, so its hard to sympathise with him.

On the other hand, all of us blokes have been led-on and treated like shit by women at some stage, and that's usually half-our-fault too. I just wish he'd (I'd) had more balls. Unlike many commentators, I loved the final, groan-worthy line of this film - and incidentally - director Webb makes L.

A. look far more cosmopolitan and aesthetically pleasing than any other film I can recall.