(500) days of Summer

Wow. I found myself laughing often. Overall, a cute, fun movie.

This movie is highy entertaining, but it did make me wish I had the strength to leave my relationship.

It was funny and original, go see it, you'll love it

Every summer should have 500 days. Kinda of a love story, kinda a dead end sort of story. So So.

loved it

ok this was not what i was thinking it was at all! i did like some parts, but not others. overall, i don't like it! it was just weird and so wrong how everything went down. who does that kind of stuff. i really hope there are not any girls out there like her, or guys either for that matter! nobody should ever be treated that way! summer is the kind of girl who makes guys go postal and committ a murder/suicide! this movie is not the typical love story, although, there is a happy ending. i hope i didn't just ruin it for you. to each his/her own, everybody is entitled to their own opinion right. enjoy!

First, a word from my prejudices. There was No Way this film could live up to my expectations. Zooey and Joseph are the golden children of the hipster age. I want to be Joseph (and if you watch Brick, you will too), I want to be Zooey's best friend. And this film was clearly meant - by the writers and/or cosmically - for these two actors. But recognizing my impossible expectations, I was able to appreciate this movie for the sweetly bittersweet momentum of its plot.

The story's pretty simple. Tom is a typical hipster (I'm sorry, I don't know any other words for intelligent, snappy dressers) with a mediocre job that he's better at than his friends. He believes in true love and he likes The Smiths. Summer is every hipster boy's fantasy girl (conveniently played by every hipster boy's fantasy girl) who doesn't believe in true love and likes The Smiths. The film pretty faithfully follows the inevitable tale set up by these parameters.

Some time-hopping is done (we see the '(500)' flip from day 13 to 343, back to 14, etc.) and works well early on as a way to starkly contrast the emotional roller-coaster that is any affair, but eventually falls into gimmick territory. This isn't "Amores Perros" and it's not "Memento," it's a modern version of a classic idea, and it's entertaining enough not to rely on so many bright flashy things (probably a symptom of director Mark Webb's CV being made up almost entirely of music videos).

Still, the charm, the unique quality that is simply a more realistic view of a love affair (including a recognition that the characters themselves do not view their affair in any light close to realism), the bluntness with which we are made to ride the roller coaster with the protagonists, it all overcomes the issues I'm nitpicking at. We're more 'in' the relationship with these two than anyone has ever been while watching Kate Hudson. It's a romantic comedy for those of us who are a little too cool for romantic comedies. If you roll your eyes at "Letters to Juliet," you may find the ways that Summer and Tom embarrass themselves - thus becoming more attached - a little more realistic and entertaining.

Some final supporting roles notes: while Chloe Moretz, as Tom's sister, is playing almost the same character as she does in "Kick-Ass" (grown-up in child's body, minus the murder), she is still a scene-stealer. She's so good at what she's doing, it's worth noting here as continued prediction of her great success.

And fans of good television will recognize Clark Gregg, who plays Tom and Summer's boss in "500 Days" from his role as the mysterious stranger in the bar at the end of the second season of Sports Night. I've seen him pop up in a few other things since then, obviously, and he's always proficient enough to warrant my wishing he got more attention and bigger parts.

The bottom line? If you already think Zooey is precious or twee, your head will explode while watching "500 Days." If you like retro dresses, guys in vests looking disheveled, and have ever been crushed to a pulp by love, then you will have a dandy time watching this film.

7/10

This seems like it will be a witty, relatable movie but I can't make it through. I've now tried watching it twice and turned it off after a few minutes each time. It's disappointing because Joseph Gordon-Levitt usually chooses interesting roles. He strikes me as a picky actor and appears to gravitate to characters that are more challenging.

He has appeared as a hard-boiled investigator in Brick, a disabled crime accomplice in The Lookout, and the most senior member of a team of aliens in Third Rock From the Sun.

My point is, it seems like he tries to explore a diverse set of roles, so the idea behind this one must have been trying out the romantic lead approach. It didn't work. This movie is boring.

Tom is a young man that believes that the film, The Graduate, has a happy ending. Summer is a child of divorce that has never believed in love.

500 Days of Summer might be a great choice for a romantic comedy for people who don't typically like romantic comedies. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are perfect in this film about boy meets girl. But 500 Days of Summer is not a love story. (Don't worry - I am not spoiling anything - this is stated within the first few minutes of the film). I laughed, I cried, and identified with both Tom and Summer's characters. My favorite scene in the film involves both Tom and Summer at her garden party, and a split screen is used to show Tom's expectations and his reality simultaneously. The expectations are what Tom was hoping to happen during this party, and the reality of course, is what was actually happening. This one definitely warrants several rewatches in the future, and I think I could enjoy Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Hall & Oates musical sequence about 500 more times (at least). A great little film.

For Tom, it was almost love at first sight when Summer Kimchee Finn walked into the greeting card company where he worked. Summer is the new administrative assistant. Soon, Tom knows that Summer is the woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life. They get married and have 10 children. Through the trials and tribulations of Tom and Summer's relationship, Tom could always count on the advice of his two best friends, McKenzie and Paul. However, it's Rachel, Tom's adolescent sister, who is his voice of reason. After all is said and done, Tom is the one who ultimately has to make the choice to listen or not. But he doesn't.