"500 Days of Summer" is a delightfully engaging and poignant tale of love

Rating: 10/10 (19 August 2009)

"This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'The Graduate'. The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parent's marriage she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and not feel a thing. Tom meets Summer on January 8th. He knows almost immediately she is who he has been searching for. This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story."
500 Days of Summer is an intriguingly original take on falling in love. Every emotion involved with a relationship seems to be relayed; from the strange and quirky aspects of new love to the tragedy of heartbreak. Marc Webb deftly incorporates his ingenuity and comedy into the film. The writers quite skilfully enrich the film with one of the most immensely beautiful and original screenplays to come along in a while.
Tom, a greeting-card writer with artistic dreams beyond his mundane job, meets Summer and quickly falls for her. Eventually, he manages to charm her into a "casual relationship". So begins the 500 days that chronicle the happiness, heartbreak, and every other aspect involved with the often changing tides of romance.
500 Days of Summer portrays a relationship that is more realistic and less clichéd than most others in it's woefully unoriginal and formulaic genre. In doing so, the film never feels anything less than completely innovative and incredibly fun. The film's story is told in a refreshingly non-linear fashion that strives for and often reaches perfection with each and every scene.
The acting is wonderful, especially from the two leads. Since starring in Mysterious Skin (a disturbingly compelling film), Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been one of my favorite actors and proves yet again why he is one of the most talented actors of his generation. His performance was truly fantastic. Zooey Deschanel is absolutely wonderful in her portrayal of Summer and her quirky personalities. Their chemistry is wondrously compelling to watch and their moments together seem wholly convincing and genuine. The supporting cast is terrific throughout and very fun to watch.
The music was marvelous and really added to the film. Everyone involved does an amazing job to connect the several elements of love into a satisfying and moving conclusion. The film often shuffles between whimsy and realistic, but, rather than getting lost because of it, the story only seems to be enhanced due to the chaotically transitional moods.
500 Days of Summer is a hilarious, deftly thoughtful film about love. The performances are astonishing and the writing is sublime. It is a thoroughly clever and impressive film that shouldn't be missed.