Not your usual love story, it is very well told and interesting. And truthful.

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2009)

The opening narration states "this is not a love story" but that is just to throw us off. It is a story of love, but told in an unusual, and interesting way.
The "Summer" of the title is a girl, Summer Finn. It is this young man's tale of his 500 days of knowing her, and yet not really knowing her at all.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is good as the somewhat nerdy, unambitious Tom Hansen who works for a card company, writing clever sayings. He is pretty good at it, but really wanted to be an architect. However his ambitions seem pretty low.
One day Zooey Deschanel as pretty, interesting, and quirky Summer Finn comes into the office. Tom pretty much views her as unapproachable, but she makes the first "chit-chat" and soon they are friends. And maybe more, but she cautions him early that she isn't interested in something deeper. She seems to like to float along in life, enjoy what it gives, without worrying too much about where it may lead.
But Tom is confused by this, because "friends" don't just jump in the bed and make out, or decide on the spur of the moment to have sex in the shower.
A cute addition to the story is 11 year old Chloe Moretz as Rachel Hansen, Tom's little sister, who often sits him down and gives him advice, some of it coming as she waits for her soccer coach to put her into the game. She is wise beyond her years, as Tom seems naive below his years.
The story is told back and forth in time, and they use a nice mechanism to keep us aware of time, they superimpose a small display that tells us what day during the 500 it is every time a scene changes.
The story depicts a real truth about love and relationships. No matter how ideal this new person is for YOU, it will not work out unless you are equally ideal for her. Tom spends much of his relationship energy ignoring all the reasons why Summer will NOT likely be his mate for life and instead hoping she will change. It just doesn't happen.
SPOILERS: After the on-again, off-again affair, Tom is invited to Summer's but not only finds that she does not intend to be his forever, she is getting engaged that very occasion. He rushes out, devastated, holes up in his place for days, becomes bitter, even finally goes to work, makes trouble, and quits. But something gets him to drawing again, and he renews his interest in architecture. He gets organized, sets up interviews, polishes his resume'. As the movie is about to end he is waiting for his interview and meets a nice young lady. She is also interviewing for the job. They each hope the other DOESN'T get it, and smile about that. But they do talk about getting coffee afterward, perhaps this next one will be the one for Tom. After all her name is Autumn, and everyone knows when Summer ends Autumn takes her place.