I am making this a point to write a movie review for the flicks I see because the new site will be launched soon and there will be an entire section devoted to "Movie Reviews". This is my first attempt... and it's taken me awhile strangely. Just in case anyone is interested on my take. I will do my best not to spoil anything major about the plot, therefore if I mention something in depth about the movie, it means the information was either already revealed in the trailer or the information will not ruin your experience of a movie unfolding before your eyes. That being said, if you're like me, you avoid reviews until after you see the movie. If that's you too, please feel free to comment on your take, even if you strongly disagree with my assessment, I want to understand why or why not particular movies resinate with some people and not with others.
Quote of the Movie: Narrator: "There are two different types of people in this world: men and women."
First off, while I didn't walk out of this movie with the "OMG, like I'm gonna go Twitter everyone to see this movie" type attitude (I don't tweet by the way, that was a joke), I want to acknowledge that the strong direction of Marc Webb handling Scott Neusdadter & Michael H. Weber's script was both imaginative and original. Set in Los Angeles, we are immediately introduced to two characters, Tom and Summer, by a narrator who stays with us the entire movie as an omniscient observer. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) grew up with the belief that he would never truly be happy until he meets "the one". Although his parents consistently fought in front of him, they stayed married throughout his "happy" New Jersey suburban upbringing. Summer (adorably & aggrivatingly played by Zooey Deschenel in her best performance yet) grew up in the suburbs of Michigan. Having a hard time dealing with the divorce of her parents at age 10, Summer never quite bought into the unrealistic Disney-esque fairy-tale expectations of "the one". Summer developed an obsession with cutting off chunks of her hair after realizing that it didn't hurt her and that the hair will eventually and always grow back. She grew up being spoiled by both parents, being showered with love, gifts and money on both sides. She grew up pretty, a cheerleader, popular, the kind of woman who has always gotten things for cheap or nothing at all because people just naturally want to help her. This is all displayed to us from a narrator before the credits ever roll, and when they do, we're greeted with a clever creative montage after being told flat out : This is not a love story. These two people do not wind up together.
When Summer starts a job as an administrative assistant at the greetings card company that Tom writes for, Tom instantly falls in love the second they meet. Summer doesn't believe in love at first sight and due to a few mutual traits they share and the "idea of Summer", Tom falls in head over heels. Due to an infatuation with how Tom sees love, and skillfully revealing that Summer deep down wants to feel that too, she enters the relationship and the two are a happy domestic couple for the next few months. Then Summer gets bored and that's how the dissolution of their relationship plays out over the following days, months, and almost two years. The director plays with time so we are constantly switching days as we switch scenes so we really get to see every stage of a breakup, this time seen more through the emotional rollercoaster that is Tom. This is where it's different from other romantic comedies, it's seen from a guy's perspective.
We see funny and entertaining interactions between Tom and his two best friends, Paul (Matthew Grey-Gubner) who has been in the same relationship with the same woman since high school and Paul (Geoffrey Arend) who has never been in a relationship in his life. The two offer the best advice to help their friend out, but it's essentially Tom's adolescent sister Rachel (Chloe Moretz), she is my favorite character in the film, who is the only person to get through to Tom as he breaks down as Summer slowly pulls away from him.
The only thing I didn't like about this movie was Tom's character and Gordon-Levitt's acting. While obviously written as a semi- autobiography by the writers, I believe Levitt's portrayal goes too over the line of pathetic-ness, so over that line that you start to lose respect for his character. I think he did the best he could do with that role, however it made this 90-minute movie seem way too long for me. I also was disappointed with the ending. I will not spoil that because well, it's the ending and that's kind of the reason you see a movie; to find out what happens. However for me, the ending turned this anti-fairy tale romantic comedy into just a regular romantic comedy. It didn't really teach me anything, it merely just pointed out how happy, sad, romantic, angry, grief-stricken, depressing emotionally draining and rejuvinating a failed relationship can be. Unfortunately, the dissection of failed relationships is a very relatable theme for people. While I don't quite agree with their take on the mystery of love, partly because I have nothing but failed relationships to compare this movie to, I am however excited to see what Webb, Neustadter, Weber and especially Deschenel do next. I've liked her since Elf.
Best Song on the Soundtrack: Regina Spektor "Us".
Please check out other Regina Spektor songs if you like, she's got skills.
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