Thank Summer for Autumn!

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2011)

You probably wouldn't call (500) Days of Summer a conventional romance, but it'll woo lovers of the genre nonetheless. Between Tom Hansen's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, playing the movie's protagonist) often crushed hopes and the ecstatic heights of joy brought upon him by his love interest, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), the writers and cast take the film's viewers through twists and turns, ranging from stricken expressions of awe to the grin that brightens one's face as they contentedly sit back in their seat. While the film incorporates the happy, the sad and the "everything in between" kind of moments, it never seems to stray too far from reality, making for an entertaining and relatable show. Anybody who's been in a good relationship gone wrong, sour or just plain heart-wrenchingly asunder will find abundant consolation in the message this movie offers to everyone under the sun.
The casting—long story short—was magnificent. Tom Hansen is without a shadow of a doubt the most relatable of the film's characters (and as the protagonist, you'd expect). While trained as an architect, he finds himself stuck in a rut writing for a card company, choked day in and day out by his unfulfilled potential. Gordon-Levitt indulges in the role, never missing his mark as a chance comes along to display genuine emotion. From his subtleties of expression to his spoken manifestations, he plays off 'love-stricken confidence,' time after time, absent of monotony at that. Countering, however, Deschanel makes for the perfectly unconventional, intriguingly mysterious, not-so-girl-next-door. The two play off of each other so well that it's easy to fall under the actors' spell, believing that the recounting of actual events is superseding such fictional story-telling.
Seldom failing to please, the alternate media (music, animation, etc.) in the film make for just another level of added depth, and consistent emotional prompts give the viewer a strong sense of connectedness to Tom's sentiments, further allowing the uninhibited relating to one's personal life. Another striking feature of this movie is the way in which the story is presented—numerous non-linear jumps are made back and forth, from Tom and Summer's early to late relationship. Such style reveals bit by piece how the story unfolds, never giving the viewer a clear prediction of the conclusion; rather, it allows onlookers the chance to connect, in conclusion, the many detached portions of the couple's relationship once the final piece of the puzzle is revealed. And while some moments present themselves equivocally at first, the viewer is never left uncomprehendingly confused.