(500) Days of Summer [Blu-ray] with Digital Copy
Fox Home Video DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009
Cast:
By Brandon Fibbs
Once in a while a film so wonderful comes along that you want to race up the
highest building you can find and bellow its greatness from the rooftops, to
wake all your friends in the middle of the night just to tell them how wonderful
it is. (500) Days of Summer is that film.
MOVIE:
"This is a story of boy meets girl,"
says the sardonic, omniscient narrator in the film's opening sequence. "But you
should know up front, this is not a love story." While (500) Days of
Summer is romantic and certainly very funny, it could more accurately
be titled a romantic tragedy, a bittersweet tale of love found and love lost.
There are plenty of films charting the ebb and flow of relationships until the
moment at which love conquers all. But what about the other, perhaps even larger
group of lovers, who begin with the best of intentions yet still end up with
going their separate ways? (500) Days is their story.
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) believes in true love, the sort of cosmic romance
found only in fairy tales that draws two unique souls across time and space to
one another. This makes him the perfect copywriter for a greeting card company,
even though he feels his true calling is architecture. His co-worker and
girl-next-door extraordinaire Summer (Zooey Deschanel) also believes in destiny
- that all relationships are destined to end in shattered hearts and broken
dreams. Tom not only believes in "the one," he believes that one is Summer, and
his idealistic optimism sidesteps Summer's cynicism, seeing it as nothing more
than just another metaphorical dragon to be slain by fate. He promptly falls in
love, both with the beautiful, droll, clever woman Summer is and the ideal she
represents, despite the fact that she warns him on the outset that she is not
looking for anything serious. In Tom's defense, don't we all say that?
We do not witness Tom and Summer's history in chronological order, but rather
hopscotch through time, shuffling through memories both good and bad, title
cards informing us as to what point in the year and a half span of their
relationship we are seeing. Sequentially ordered days would naturally lead us
from loves first blushes to the initial ruptures and inevitable implosion, but
the prismatic chronology jumbles these all together, much as they would be in
our own minds should we have experienced the emotional highs and lows ourselves.
This shattered chronology works brilliantly because the thread holding each
scene together is the tremendous emotional honesty of the brilliant and stylish
script.
Simultaneously starry-eyed and profoundly pragmatic (the way love really is),
the sharply observed screenplay-distinctive because it is written from a guy's
perspective-is truthful, riddled with universal questions and brave enough to
follow through with an initial promise that we may not get the ending we want.
First time feature director Marc Webb has made an offbeat, absurdly creative and
wholly original first film. (500) Days' miraculously inventive
visual style and lovable stars make this movie an utter, unrepentant delight.
HD SOUND + VISION:
(500) Days of
Summer on Blu-ray is presented in 1080P, AVC encoded, 2.40:1 Anamorphic
Widescreen format, preserving the original theatrical aspect ratio. The audio is
presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD master audio, and Spanish, French and Portuguese
5.1 Dolby Digital. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese,
Cantonese, Mandarin and Thai.
The visuals were never paramount in (500) Days of Summer
on Blu-ray and this translates from the screen to your TV. This is pretty
unlustrous, with several instances of detectable grain. Much of this is, of
course, intentional. While colors are intentionally flat (save for the color
blue, especially during the dance sequence), there's nothing here to blow you
away; though, to be fair, nothing too offensive either. The terrific soundtrack,
on the other hand, sounds perfect.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
(500) Days of
Summer on Blu-ray is presented in a standard Blu-ray keepcase and
includes a menu insert. The cover art is a duplication of the poster. The
backside bears images from the film, a brief synopsis and the usual technical
suspects.
Regretfully, the menus are not all clear and easy to navigate. Rather than
new screens for submenus, (500) Days of Summer on Blu-ray issues
pop-out after pop-out submenus that are frankly almost impossible to decipher.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Audio Commentary with Director Marc Webb and Actor Joseph
Gordon-Levitt - The director and star
(joined by the writers) is as funny and informative as you might expect.
Mostly the writers talk about how much of the script is based on their actual
(embarrassing) lives! They also gush endlessly about Zooey. And who can blame
them?
- Lost Days of Summer: Deleted and Extended Scenes (14:42) - Eight extended and new scenes, all of which
it was wise to leave on the cutting room floor. They include: more When Harry
Met Sally moments of the various characters talking to the camera, including
Tom's sister waxing philosophical about Nietzsche; alternate looks at the
opening of the film done as a horror film; meeting Tom's folks; more of Paul
trying to save his gaff in front of Summer; more Hall and Oats done for
melancholy; and seeing Summer everywhere he looks (including a scene from the
trailer).
- Not a Love Story: Making (500) Days of Summer (29:21) - "It's a very romantic film, it's just not
conventional," say the screenwriters of this film in this bonus containing
lots of interviews with cast but twice as many with the crew (a nice change,
frankly). The writers discuss how much of the film is autobiographical, how
the film was initially pitched, character back-stories and a dozen other
delightful tidbits in a making-of that really lives up to its name.
- Summer at Sundance (13:46) - This should be called "Webb at Sundance." Director Webb says a
film like this needs the inertia a festival can give it. Here, we stick with
him for the day before and of his film's release, surrounded by family and
friends.
- Audition Tapes - Watch
Geoffrey Arend (McKenzie) and Matthew Gray Gubler (Paul) snag their parts.
- Summer Storyboards (3:30) - See them (The Summer Effect, Reality/Expectations) individually
or side by side and with or without commentary.
- Bank Dance, Directed by Marc Webb (4:18) -
A Zooey music video of a relationship born in the most unlikely of
circumstances. For those of you who loved Levitt's SNL athletics, you'll love
this!
- Mean's Cinemash: "Sid and Nancy/(500) Days of Summer"
(3:28)
- Remember that Sid and Nancy bit? Well if you don't, you will after this bit.
Hint: Levitt in drag!
- Music Video: "Sweet Disposition" by Temper Trap (4:01)
- Conversations with Zooey and Joseph (12:26) - A series of webcasts with the leads sitting in a "diner"
chatting about getting into character; getting a project off the ground; how
one loves L.A.; the inspiration that comes from music; and the difficulty of
performing in front of a few versus a lot of people.
- Filmmaking Specials -
Web vignettes of Mark Webb chatting with a live audience:
- Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on Casting Joe and Zooey (2:07)
- High praise for his actors and what they thought of each other and
life on the set.
- Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on The Summer Effect (1:35) - How they
came up with the statistical analysis of why Summer is awesome.
- Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on French Film References (:58) - One of
the funniest bits in the film was a last minute inclusion.
- Behind (500) Days: Director Marc Webb on the Color Palette (1:11) - Mostly
monochromatic and lacking primary colors, the film popped with blue every
time Zooey was around.
- FOX MOVIE CHANNEL Presents "In Character" with
Zooey Deschanel (2:38) - Finding her character, how music got her into
character, and how she tries to find the truth in every moment.
- FOX MOVIE CHANNEL Presents "In Character" with Joseph Godeon-Levitt
(3:08) - How does Levitt act? Mostly he just feeds off of Zooey. And
gets into mood by listening to her music.
Previews: Adam, Emilia,
Fame, Post-Grad, Whip It,
Jennifer's Body, All About Steve
HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS. 500,
499…:
There are not enough words to describe how much I adored the
magical, transcendent (500) Days of Summer. Despite the
sometimes cold realities that the film confronts, (500) Days is
probably the best romantic comedy since When Harry Met Sally.
You are wrong sardonic, omniscient narrator. This is a love story. I am in love
with this film. Don't believe me? Think I am too gushing in my praise? By this
Blu-ray and prove me wrong. I dare you!
FILM GRADE: A
HD SOUND: A-
HD VISION: B
BLU-RAY PACKAGING/LAYOUT:
B-
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES: A
OVERALL BLU-RAY SCORE:
A-
