(500) Days of Summer: Fairytales for Macs

It was ironic that during the trailers for (500) Days of Summer, the latest Jennifer Aniston movie was foisted upon us.

As Hollywood romantic comedies go, this must have sounded wonderful on paper: let's get Jennifer Aniston, put her in Seattle, make her a small business owner who meets a rich guy and teaches him the importance of the immaterial (love!), then name it 'Love Happens', which I can only assume is a cross between 'Love Actually' and 'Shit Happens'.

For Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zoey Deschanel however, in (500) Days of Summer; life happens. Unlike Aniston's future pablum, '(500) Days' explores the ambiguity and often, irrationality of emotions and relationships, particularly in hindsight. A refreshingly grey take on the rom-com, the film so overtly channels 'The Graduate' that Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross actually play a pivotal role in the plot.

Deschanel plays the titular Summer, with whom Gordon-Levitt (as Tom) meets, greets, loves and learns in the span of 500 days. Most people in life experience love more than once, but it's rare to see a movie about those multitude of relationships that start with a bang, only to end with a fizzle. '(500) Days' takes the audience asymmetrically through just one of those relationships, with both Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt playing their pseudo-hipster roles to a tee. Ever the idiosyncratic leading man, Gordon-Levitt in particular puts forth an emotional roller coaster performance, providing a decidedly subjective backbone to much of the film.

Marking the directorial debut of music video veteran Marc Webb, '(500) Days' is a slick, stylish film that captures the city of Los Angeles with an intimacy few have ever achieved. Although Webb leans heavily on some of his past experience (watch the video for Maroon 5's 'Goodnight Goodnight' after this movie), the romance unravels on screen -- literally and figuratively -- with aplomb. The architectural cinematography, unique shots and seasonal colour palates wielded by Webb et al help layout a sprawling, time bending story with such simplicity that even Christopher Nolan would be proud.

It would be a shame also not to mention the splendid soundtrack, again harkening back to Webb's background. Tunes from The Smiths and Regina Spektor perfectly serenade romance's foibles at every turn, diegetically entrenching themselves in the story as much as music does in our own real life relationships.

For those who are romantics however, let it be known that there is little real gloom and doom here. Despite sounding like a downer, witty banter and laughs are easy to come by during the film's brief 95 minutes. Moreover, although we are warned this is not a love story, it is undoubtedly one full of love -- particularly the ending, which essentially asks why we should bother at all?

Regardless of how you interpret the finale, much like 'The Graduate', '(500) Days of Summer' will ensure you enjoy making that decision.