Film

A lot of flirting goes on in (500) Days of Summer. Alluring Summer (Deschanel) flirts with shy greeting-card writer Tom (Gordon-Levitt) while the script flirts with the clichés of post-romantic hipster romances. Fortunately, while Summer’s flirtation leads to consummation, the script never quite falls into the deadly embrace of the formulaic.

Using a jumbled chronology, voiceover narrator and a soundtrack of cool music old and new, Webb tells the story of the 500 days in which Tom comes to know Summer, learns she doesn’t believe in love (uh oh), falls in love with her (oh dear), breaks up with her, gets back together with her, breaks up again, becomes disillusioned with this whole love thing, and so on. You’ll note we describe all this from Tom’s point of view; so does the film. Though Deschanel does a nice job with what she’s given, Summer is really just an elusive idea of a woman through whom Tom learns about life and love. Gordon-Levitt anchors the movie effortlessly with yet another distinctive performance.

All of this could be teeth-grindingly precious, but Webb tackles it with an intensity that sometimes feels more like Two for the Road (another nonchronological semi-tragic romance) than Garden State and its ilk. By the end, you might be sorry we get only 500 days, but that’s love for you.