(500) Days of Summer

Rating: 5/10 (22 March 2012)

I heard quite a lot about this film at the time of its release, many sources saying that it was something to be watched, but I had no idea about the concept, so I was very intrigued while viewing it. Basically Tom Hansen (Inception's Golden Globe nominated Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has recently broken up with Summer Finn (Yes Man's Zooey Deschanel), and the film is a backwards-forward various order charts their relationship. Tom trained as an architect, but works making greeting cards, and Summer was the new assistant to his boss, and it was Tom's friend and co-worker McKenzie (Geoffrey Arend) who helped set them up and start dating. Over the next few months they got closer, but obviously the film being so mixed with ordering of their love there are the moments that show how they started breaking apart as well. Summer did not originally believe that true love existed, and Tom fell over heels for her, and after just over two hundred days together their first argument comes from a bout of jealousy. They do eventually break up, Tom finds it hard to take and has depression, and Summer quits her job to move on, but they see each other again at a co-worker's wedding, and she is surprised to catch the bouquet. They start to become friends again, but he is devastated to see that she is wearing an engagement ring, and after a long bout of deeper depression, scoffing on junk food and alcoholism, he has an outburst at work, and quits. A long time passes, and Tom and Summer see each other again at his favourite spot on the park bench, and they really talk things through, they make up with each other before going their separate ways. So in the end Summer did find true love, just with someone else, even though she did have a lovely relationship with Tom, and he meanwhile twelve days later finds a new girl to ask on a date, her name is Autumn (Minka Kelly). Also starring Kick-Ass's Chloë Grace Moretz as Rachel, Matthew Gray Gubler as Paul, Clark Gregg as Vance, Patricia Belcher as Millie and Rachel Boston as Alison. Gordon-Levitt is a good looking likable guy, and Deschanel is as usual is beautiful, kooky and lovable, you could think of this film as a faster paced and softer Pulp Fiction or Memento with this style of editing, it does make for some interesting scenes, it may confuse you a little bit, but actually doing it the regular order would be a bit boring, so all in all it is a good fun and nice alternative romantic comedy. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. Very good!