Smith's Verdict

Smith’s Verdict: ****

Reviewed by Tanner Smith

“(500) Days of Summer” is the best romantic comedy to come around in a long, long time. There were many terrible ones and a few mediocre ones, though there have been a few fair ones, but none as fantastic as this one. I’d even put this in a class with Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” and that’s a pretty highly-regarded class indeed. It’s a romantic comedy for those who normally don’t go to romantic comedies because there were so many bad ones. You know it’s different from the hilarious disclaimer at the beginning, which states it isn’t based on anybody in particular. (“Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch.”)

But the situations that ensue in this story of boy-meets-girl feel like they’ve happened to you. Even if they haven’t, you still feel the reality of the situation. This is a romantic comedy that doesn’t result to cheap ploys such as sappy overhanded drama or ineffective, unfunny gross-out gags. The comedy comes from the realism, which is portrayed in a pleasant but unforced fashion.

The film chronicles the 500 days surrounding the romance between Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel)—from their first glances to their final goodbyes. Everything in between is complicated enough, that Tom would rather remember the good times of the relationship than the bad. Wouldn’t we all, though? The story is told in a non-linear fashion, with a segue that ensures us of which day we’re in. Now, we already know that things aren’t going to turn out well between Tom and Summer, but it’s fun to see the events play themselves out.

Tom is a hopeless romantic who believes he’ll never find true love until he meets “the one.” Who is “the one?” Tom believes it is Summer, a realist who doesn’t necessarily believe in the idea of love. Despite this, Summer likes Tom and wants them to be friends. They hang out together, fool around together, and eventually, they start a potential boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. But will it last? Reality takes its toll, unfortunately.

“(500) Days of Summer” doesn’t result in ridiculous clichés to tell the story of this relationship. There are no silly misunderstandings where the characters think they hate each other and they mope until they realize they do. There are no stupid bullies—like an ex-boyfriend—trying to keep the lovebirds apart. Heck, Tom and Summer aren’t even necessarily “lovebirds.” Tom is the one head-over-heels in love with Summer, and it’s Summer that isn’t so sure about the idea of being someone’s romantic partner.

Instead, we have genuine chemistry between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, who are both excellent in their roles. Gordon-Levitt, in particular, has the same starmaking ability that made Tom Hanks a household name. I really think he’s that good. It’s his character’s story that’s being told throughout “(500) Days of Summer”—he’s likeable and convincing all the way through. And Deschanel is the kind of fun, free-spirited, attractive woman that we all wish we could meet.

Supporting roles consist of Tom’s wisecracking buddies played by the appealing Matthew Gray Gubler and Geoffrey Arend who have a lot of fun with these obligatory roles; Tom’s surprisingly-insightful younger sister, nicely played by Chloe Grace Moretz; and Tom’s boss, played by Clark Gregg. They all have their fine, funny moments here.

There’s a lot of offbeat humor throughout “(500) Days of Summer,” most of which comes from Tom as the unreliable narrator—we get many sequences that play with whimsy and perception. For example, after Tom and Summer finally have intercourse, we get a bright musical number—a song-and-dance sequence set to Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True.” Everyone is politely nodding/greeting and then they all join Tom as he dances with joy. This is complete with a marching band and an animated bird.

And how about the sequence shown in split-screen, differing “expectations” from “reality?” How often have we been down this road? We expect one thing—one great thing to occur the whole evening—when we wind up with something totally different than we wanted. This is my favorite scene because I can relate to it. It’s a very satisfying scene.

This humor shows that this isn’t one of those gritty indie films that try to make it feel like we’re eavesdropping on the characters. We know we’re seeing a story unfold.

“(500) Days of Summer” is as far from formulaic as you can get, and that’s one of the many reasons I loved it so much. There’s a lot to love in this movie. Aside from the perfect casting, authentic chemistry between the two leads, and a great deal of funny offbeat comedy, there are little things to acknowledge as well—the soundtrack (particularly the Smiths, which Tom likes to listen to), the whole deal with the greeting card company’s creativity or lack thereof, Tom and Summer’s attempt at copying a porno film, the satire of a sad French film when things start to go wrong for Tom and Summer, I could go on and on. Many pleasantries can be found in this wonderful, wonderful movie.

Smith’s Verdict: ****

Reviewed by Tanner Smith

Enoch is a talented teenaged baseball player. He pitches strikeouts when he’s not under pressure. However, there are times when he does get under pressure—mostly because of his best friend, nicknamed “Wheels.” The reason Enoch is not popular among his peers is not just because of his stutter that prevents him from letting out a full sentence. It’s also because of his friendship and assistance to Wheels. Wheels is a smart aleck who won’t shut his mouth for even a minute. He also has Cerebral Palsy and is in a wheelchair, hence the nickname. These two share an odd friendship, having grown up together in a small community called War Eagle, in the Ozark Mountains. Enoch can’t talk, but can pitch very well; Wheels can’t walk, but he almost speaks for Enoch at some points—he can’t shut up. These two are the best of friends and they need each other. But Wheels is afraid of dragging Enoch down in the future.

The friendship between Enoch and Wheels is the main element of the independent film “War Eagle, Arkansas.” Theirs is a very refreshing coming-of-age story in that they don’t simply talk to each other about why they’re great friends or why they’re afraid of the future (it also helps that one of them has an uncontrollable stutter—I’m repeating myself, but let the record show that this kid has an even worse stutter than the geeky, stammering high school student who joined the debate team in 2007’s “Rocket Science”). When they get together and Enoch tries to come to Wheels with a problem, Wheels advises him and tries to help him, but not before using his acid tongue to a somewhat cruel outburst, even if some of what he’s saying is the truth.

“War Eagle, Arkansas” is a splendid piece of work. It doesn’t slip into melodramatic elements that would belong in a “movie-of-the-week.” Thankfully, the script by Graham Gordy doesn’t dumb down this coming-of-age story even when Enoch’s grandfather (well-played by Brian Dennehy) gives him multiple lectures about life. There are also nice, realistic supporting characters including Enoch’s mother (Mare Winningham) and Wheels’ mother (Mary Kay Place)—both love their children—and a video store owner named Jack (James McDaniel), who tries to build and open his own church in this small town. And then there’s a nice relationship between Enoch and a girl named Abby (helium-voiced Misti Traya), which has some comic timing in the ways that Enoch tries to use poetry as a pickup line, or when he writes conversations on his forearm to look at and bring up on their date. The relationship between Enoch and Abby almost strains the friendship between Enoch and Wheels when Enoch brings Abby to Wheels’ house. Wheels almost immediately regrets encouraging Enoch to ask Abby out. But he can’t just confront his friend and say how much jealousy contains him, not even when Enoch has a shot at a baseball scholarship for an out-of-state college.

And this friendship is one of the best coming-of-age teenage friendships I’ve seen in a movie. It helps especially that both boys are very well-acted. Enoch is played by Luke Grimes and Wheels is played by Dan McCabe. Both are newcomers, but they live and breathe their characters and do tremendous acting jobs. They play characters with differing personalities that really develop into one personality. The very best parts of the movie are when they’re together.

Also, the setting of the movie (a rural community) really makes you understand why Enoch and Wheels feel confused about their surroundings.

“War Eagle, Arkansas” is well-made with great performances. What I don’t understand is why, according to http://www.rottentomatoes.com, the sole review of this movie is from Philip Martin of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Why is this movie so ignored? People need to see it because this is a terrific coming-of-age drama; one of the best I’ve ever seen.

Smith’s Verdict: ****

Reviewed by Tanner Smith

Director Richard Linklater’s films always has a sense of reality and accurate pacing (see “Dazed and Confused,” “Before Sunrise,” and even “School of Rock,” which had realistic discussions about music among its formulaic story), and so it’s more than interesting to see him handle a story featuring the late, great Orson Welles. For “Me and Orson Welles,” an adaptation of the semi-biographical novel by Robert Kaplow, Linklater takes not only Welles seriously, but also the theater. To put it simply, “Me and Orson Welles” is one of the best films about the theater you’re likely to come across. It’s charming and well-made, but there may be something a little more.

Let me just get this out of the way—how much is based on fact, I’m sorry to say, is beyond me. Linklater and the writers, Holly Gent Palmo and Vincent Palmo, Jr., take the novel and historical events and blend them to create a fairy-tale type of story. The story takes place in 1930s New York City, as a high school student named Richard (Zac Efron), an optimistic aspiring actor, walks down the street and stumbles upon Orson Welles (Christian McKay), John Houseman (Eddie Marsan), and the other members of the Mercury Theatre. Welles likes Richard’s spirit and decides to hire him to act in a small role in his stage adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” Richard is seduced by the wonders of the theatre and in one long week before showtime, he is a completely different person than he was before he started. He loves what he sees, wants more, and admires Welles’ spirit and energy, even if Welles’ directing methods can get very strict.

Christian McKay’s performance as Orson Welles has to be seen to be believed. It doesn’t merely feel like a portrayal; it feels like we’re really seeing Orson Welles, and not Christian McKay. The mannerisms, the expressive voice, the arrogance, the sheer ruthlessness towards others, the improvisations, the theatrical directions he delivers—all of which show that it will be impossible for anyone not to see him as Orson Welles himself. I mean it; he’s that good.

Zac Efron, taking the role to transition himself from his most notable teen-heartthrob work, is quite good here—playing Richard with a sweet innocence, but also some naivety as well (it’s the kind of role Patrick Fugit took in “Almost Famous”). Claire Danes is a real standout among the supporting cast as Sonja, a fetching, keen Mercury member who may or may not have a thing going with the ruthless Welles, but she admires Richard’s innocence enough to try some kind of romantic relationship with him. The rest of the supporting cast members—including Eddie Marsan, Ben Chaplin, Kelly Reilly, James Tupper, Leo Bill, and Zoe Kazan—each have their moments.

There’s a real charm to this coming-of-age story featuring Richard as he becomes more intrigued by what he is a part of and learns some important lessons in the process, for good or bad. We see all the aspects of the theater through his eyes, and by Welles’ vision and passion—there certainly is a fascination to these elements even if you aren’t a fan of the theater. The story moves briskly, despite a nearly-two-hour running time, and like most of Linklater’s work, you really get a sense that these characters, most of which based on real people, get a real sense of their environment and their limitations/traits (credit for that should go to Linklater’s direction, as well as the actors). “Me and Orson Welles” is a pure treasure.