One for the fallen romantics

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2010)

Deep down I'm a bit of a romantic that's been burned a time or several and so it was nice to find a film like this. It's not you're usual 'boy meets girl – they fall in love and live happily ever after' type of tale, no, it's much more realistic than that but with a large dose of quirkiness thrown in. I can't say it's my favourite romantic film, but it would probably make a top ten. But I digress, here's a bit about the plot first.
Tom Hansen is working for a greetings card company when Summer Finn starts to work there. He is, of course, attracted to her but is afraid to make the first move. His friends, McKenzie and Paul, persuade him to talk to her at a karaoke night and one thing leads to another. She tells him that she does not want a boyfriend and he agrees to just keep it light. But as time passes, it's clear that Tom is struggling not knowing where he is with her. He even asks advice from his street-wise little sister, Rachel. It seems the relationship is doomed when Summer leaves her job, and also Tom. He is heartbroken, but they are destined to meet again more than once.
The story is told in a rather unusual way; we start near the end of the 500 days and then jump back to the beginning. This continues throughout the film which meant the audience has to keep watching or they could get easily lost. I found it a different and refreshing way to put the narrative on the screen. Decent performances all round, so honourable mentions go to; Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen, Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn, Geoffrey Arend as McKenzie, Chloe Moretz as Rachel Hansen and Matthew Gray Gubler as Paul.
There are a lot of comparisons I can draw with other films; for instance, the character of Summer reminded me very much of Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). There is a musical number performed in the street featuring Tom that could be from any musical you could name. At the end of the day I found it a very entertaining film, although Summer was a little irritating at times. But forgiving that, it's pretty much recommended.
My score: 7.9/10