I had some reservations about seeing "(500) Days of Summer." I wondered if it would be the new "Garden State" or "Juno" - a movie that tried ridiculously hard to look like it's not trying at all. Sure, "Summer" had some of that, particularly in the uber-hip styling of its two principle stars and in the meticulously chosen indie rock soundtrack. Somehow, though, it didn't really bother me.
There was something about the character of Tom, with his quest for love and his hot pursuit of Summer, that was quite relatable. A synopsis of the movie (from the Moviefone web site, I believe) likened Tom to a modern Don Quixote, charging at Summer/love like Cervantes' hero charged at the windmills. Strangely, Don Quixote has come up a lot for me lately - from watching Terry Gilliam's struggles in "Lost in La Mancha" to discovering through casual party talk that not everyone is familiar with the classic character. "Summer" came at the right time, when I had Quixote on the brain.
I don't really know where I'm going with this - "Summer," Don Quixote, etc. I think it's just that I think everyone, even the most rational, logical of us, is susceptible to the Quixote moment - charging at the figurative windmills, thinking that something that isn't there, really is. And I think that "(500) Days of Summer" painted a picture of that, also showing that you can come out alright on the other side.
Plus, it did have a pretty solid soundtrack.
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