The whole movie aspires to set an Annie Hall vibe, especially when Tom keeps trying to re-create, first with her and then with someone else, the moments that he thought sealed his romance with Summer.
Sadly, (500) Days of Summer lacks the depth that even Annie Hall had - and Annie Hall, too, fell apart in the end. The movie doesn't establish the central affair as a potentially life-altering relationship. Without Deschanel's feathery, ticklish personality, Summer would barely exist as a character.
There are logical reasons for the hole in the middle of the movie. According to Summer's game plan, she wants to keep her liaison with Tom superficial. The filmmakers need to keep it light, too, so Tom can later recognize that his affair with Summer did not equal true love.
But the audience may tire of a couple that always seems to be doing goofy things like pretending they're at home in an IKEA store or yelling "penis" with increasing loudness in the middle of a city park.
You may leave this movie thinking that Tom and Summer split because they react differently to another self-destructive classic, The Gradua te : Tom sees Benjamin Braddock sweeping Elaine away on her wedding day as the height of romance; Summer realizes that Ben and Elaine have nothing to say to each other. But hey, you think, both Tom and Summer love those English alt-rockers, the Smiths.
By the time Summer realizes that Tom is correct about the concept of true love, the movie shoots way beyond all acceptable cuteness and coincidence quotients. Only when you get home will you look back on fondness to the good parts of (500) Days of Summer, which occur when Tom is looking back on some of the good parts, too.
'(500) Days of Summer'
(Fox Searchlight) Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel and Geoffrey Arend. Directed by Marc Webb. Rated PG-13 for sexual material and language. Time 95 minutes.
