500 DAYS OF SUMMER - Blu-ray review

"(500) Days of Summer" begins with Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in a seemingly uncontrollable state one evening. A small girl shows up at his apartment and this turns out to be his young sister Rachel (Chloe Moretz) and the young girl is able to calm him down and it is revealed that Tom and his girlfriend Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) have broken up and Tom is devastated after he believed that Summer was the perfect girl for him. This begins the nonlinear film as events are unveiled showing how Tom met Summer, how Tom fell in love with Summer, how Tom lost Summer and ultimately how Tom got back on his feet. "(500) Days of Summer" is not a sunshine filled love story where boy meets girl, boy loses girl and then boy gets girl back. It's a story of a miserable person after a failed relationship and that helps this quirky little comedy stand out.

Directed by Mark Webb, "(500) Days of Summer" is not a traditionally structured film. It features a few devices that are atypical of most Hollywood films. For starters, the film is narrated by Richard McGonagle and pieced together with graphic inserts that show which day each event happens. McGonagle has a familiar voice after decades of work and his dead-pan delivery gives a serious and almost documentary-like feel to this comedy. A few other visual tricks are thrown into the picture and mixing this with the narration provides a fresh feel for the unique story written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. The first scene of the film depicts Tom's heartbreak and the movie ends with Tom finding new happiness. The first scene is Day 290 and the final scene is Day 500. Throughout the film, the days jump forward and back in time.

Tom meets Summer while working for a greeting card company. He is an architect by education, but has been unable to secure a job in his field. However, he has a knack for writing short greeting cards and is mildly content with his job, but loves buildings and architecture. Summer joins his company as an assistant and quickly catches Tom's eye. He is aloof to Summer for quite some time and his poor advances are ignored or mistaken by Summer until a karaoke party where Tom's friend and co-worker McKenzie (Geoffrey Arend) reveals to Summer that Tom likes her. This elevates the friendship between Summer and Tom and although Summer tells Tom she does not want a relationship, they are soon holding hands and spending nights together.

It seems as if Tom has found the perfect romance, although Summer's beliefs against serious relationships linger deep in his mind. His friends and sister all question him on his romance and push Tom to ask Summer what they share between them. This causes a little stress between the two, but Summer continually shows Tom that she does love him and does want to be with him. After watching "The Graduate" and getting into a deep argument, which results in Summer breaking off things with Tom. This devastates him and leaves him in a state where his boss Vance (Clark Gregg) moves him away from one department in the company to write greeting cards where depression is funny. Tom struggles to move on and miserably fails during a blind date with the beautiful Allison (Rachel Boston).

The story jumps around and Tom has become a shell of a man, but he does reunite with Summer and she is hopeful that Tom can resume being her best friend. This is, of course, without the benefits they previously had in their relationship. However, Tom hopes to rekindle everything and eagerly attends a party that Summer invited him to. One of the unique devices used by Webb here is a split screen where it shows the scene side-by-side from two perspectives. One perspective is how Tom was hoping the party would go and the other scene is the reality. I loved this scene and how Webb handled it. Poor Tom is sent reeling with a further broken heart when his half of the split screen is false, but he does eventually get back on his feet with hopes of a new vocation and a date with somebody more in line of what his looking for. Her name is Autumn (Minka Kelly).

I love an original film and Webb's freshmen outing is refreshing and unique. Nonlinear narratives can often be frustrating, but the "(500) Days of Summer" are laid out in a way that its nonlinear structure that reveals just the right bit of background at each moment to allow the 500th day to be perfectly appreciated. Telling this same story in a linear fashion would not have been nearly as engaging as this study of Tom's emotions and moods is helped by showing them out of order. It prepares the audience for the reality that Tom and Summer will likely not get back together, but since the picture begins on Day 290, there is always some chance for redemption in the final 110 days. When you throw in the clever inventions utilized by Webb, this movie is completely different than anything else release in the past few years. One can see why Webb has been quickly elevated to the A-List as the next director in the "Spider-Man" franchise.

Zooey Deschanel first caught my eye in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," where she fit in perfectly in the role and seemed to embody a period-piece pinup girl caught in the future. She is a quirky actress that doesn't have the lust-driven sexuality of most Hollywood actresses. She is a very attractive young lady, but has her own look that allows her to effectively portray a girl with quirks and somebody who does not buy into conventional wisdom about life. In some ways, she reminds me of Christina Ricci, but not quite as ‘unique' as Ricci. In "(500) Days of Summer," Deschanel shows she can be a lead actress and she is perfectly believable as a girl that somebody could fall in love with, but be as odd as Summer. Before this film I wouldn't have thought of her as anything but a supporting cast member, but she does well.

Co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt is pretty good as Tom. This film is his big break, although he has had plenty of roles in television shows and bit parts in films since a brief stint on "Family Ties." Although I have seen a few films with him in a supporting role, I can't recall his specifically from any previous films. He plays the part of an easy going and backward nerd who falls easily for the wrong girl and he does it well. Gordon-Levitt's Tom is a guy who most of us could have a drink with and he is the guy we'd probably joke about, but we'd be happy when he finally got laid. He's the guy we'd have to probably explain the birds and the bees too, but he is the guy who would help us out in a time of need. Tom is a very likable guy and that is thanks to Gordon-Levitt's performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed "(500) Days of Summer" and its unique storytelling. Mark Webb set out to create something original and fresh and he succeeded. Neither Joseph Gordon-Levitt nor Zooey Deschanel are A-List actors and Gordon-Levitt is hardly a B-Lister, but this film turned out to be a solid sleeper hit and it did so because of good performances and mostly because of the perspective and devices used by Webb to tell this story. There were a few things I really loved about this film and they were mostly about how this film was made and how the story was told. In this day and age, almost everything seems derivative of something else, but this little indie is the rare original film that reminds us that creativity still exists out there. It just has to be found and luckily this film can now be found on Blu-ray.

Video:

Romantic comedies aren't your typical genre to wow its viewers with amazing visuals and independent low-budget pictures are even less likely to be impressive. This gives "(500) Days of Summer" two immediate strikes, but thankfully the visual presentation of the 2.40:1 framed Blu-ray disc is clear and without any tremendous flaws. For a film that shows off a little architectural design as its best looking moments, "(500) Days of Summer" relies on a lot of interior shots and cubicle jungle shots to fill its running length. Detail is strong and coloring is very good and this is a transfer that only needs to be average to get by. You aren't going to watch this film for visual splendor and after a few moments you'll only be happy that the film looks clean. It doesn't push the resolution of the format and while it is clearly a high definition release, it isn't going to slam dunk the DVD in overall quality. It's just not that kind of picture.

Audio:

Audio is another department where independent low-budget romantic comedies do not excel. While you can hear a few environmental sound effects come from each speaker, this is a front heavy mix. The low frequency effects channel is notably quiet throughout the film and aside from a little crowd noise during the karaoke scene and one or two busy city streets; this is a dialogue heavy mix. The narration by Richard McGonagle is smooth and clear, as are the actors' dialogue. You'll not find yourself blown away by the audio mix, but you won't complain about the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix either. The Smiths and a few other acts are featured in the film's soundtrack and these licensed songs are clear and echoed in the rear surrounds. The karaoke singing won't make you cringe. This is a clean mix, it's just not exemplary of anything special.

Extras:

The Blu-ray release of "(500) Days of Summer" is a 2-disc set featuring a Blu-ray platter with the film and special features and a DVD containing a Digital Copy of Film for Portable Media Players. The disc is filled with a nice array of value added content and boots with a few promotional clips for upcoming releases on video. These included the excellent "Whip It" and horrendous films "Jennifer's Body" and "All About Steve." The items do not push the technology and most are standalone items, but a Audio Commentary with Director Marc Webb and Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is included to enjoy while watching the film on a second viewing. The track also features writers Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter. The commentary track is a good listen, but it is definitely for somebody who loved the film so much that they wanted to hear as much about it as possible. Everybody provides good comments in the commentary and enjoy their time.

Lost Days of Summer: Deleted and Extended Scenes (14:42) begin the bonus offerings to be enjoyed separately. The four men who recorded the main commentary provide optional commentary for these nine scenes. A few days that weren't covered in the film are included here and some days are extended. There is more of the bad blind date and I didn't mind seeing more of the Allison character. Not a Love Story: Making (500) Days of Summer (29:31) is a good featurette about the making of the film and how the filmmakers wanted to do something different that was not a love story and didn't follow Hollywood conventions. The featurette Summer at Sundance (13:46) is a brief look at the filmmakers promoting the popular entry at Robert Redford's Sundance festival.

I was impressed with the amount of extra content for this film and things continue with some Audition Tapes.. For these, Marc Webb provides a little optional commentary. The leads were ignored for this, but Geoffrey Arend (McKenzie) (4:23) and Matthew Gray Gubler (Paul) (2:38) are shown in brief clips about their interviews for their roles. First thing both do is give their name and their height. The Summer Storyboards provides looks at the scenes for "Summer Effect" and "Reality/Expectations" and allow for viewing from two angles. This was a nice inclusion. The Bank Dance Directed by Marc Webb (4:18) is an interesting little short directed by Webb and has Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel dancing in a bank. The peculiar Mean's Cinemash: "Sid and Nancy / (500) Days of Summer" (3:28) is a short bit where the iconic film and this picture are ‘mashed' together. This has the stars of the latter film portraying mashed scene from the former. It's odd and humorously vulgar.

Conversations with Zooey and Joseph (12:26) is a collection of six clips with the film's two stars from an interview where they sit down and discuss knowing each other, acting and the film. Filmmaking Specials is a collection of shorts to advertise the film. "Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on Casting Joe and Zooey," "Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on the Summer Effect," "Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on French Film References," "Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on the Color Palette," "Fox Movie Channel presents in Character with Zooey Deschanel" and "Fox Movie Channel presents in Character with Joseph Gordon-Levitt" are the shorts. They are decent. "The Music Video: "Sweet Disposition" by the Temper Trap is included as are some Trailers for the films "Amelia," "Fame" and "Adam."

Closing:

I enjoyed "(500) Days of Summer" and found the picture to be a refreshingly original film from a director that has instantly made a splash in a crowded Hollywood sea. While neither of the lead actors are amazing, the story is quite good and the casting fits the roles nicely. This is a rare non-linear story that never frustrates and its structure suits the story nicely. The picture is wholly enjoyable. The transfer itself is good and does what it needs to do, but it is a typical example of a low-budget romantic comedy and won't compete against movies that get by solely on their wow factor. Thankfully, sight and sound doesn't matter when you have a quality film. The supplements are numerous and do add value to the pricier Blu-ray disc. This is an interesting and original film and a very good package value-wise. It's a good Blu-ray release and definitely worth checking it.