For once, an original and hilarious romantic comedy

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2009)

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely can't stand romantic comedies. I think they're unoriginal and boring. However, there have been some good romantic comedies especially the ones that focus more on the comedy and less on the romance. The exception with 500 Days of Summer is that it is told in the male's point of view and that was what was most intriguing to me. This was what distinguished the movie from any other brainless romantic comedies that might as well star Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson or Matthew McConaughy. 500 Days of Summer was described as an anti romantic comedy. It's not a love story, but a story about love and I think that's why it's so appealing.
The main character is Tom, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, meets Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel who Tom believes to be the one. We learn that Summer doesn't believe in love, but Tom does and that can be used to frustrate Tom or anyone watching the film because it is in his point of view.
The movie follows the 500 days that they spent together in no particular order. The movie literally starts a 488 and then jumps to day 1 then to 250 then to 4. It sounds like it's going to confusing but it actually wasn't. The story is going to jump all over the place and you have to be aware that this is going to happen quite frequently. This is what keeps the movie creative and original.
The performances in the movie were outstanding. Joseph Gordon Levitt definitely surprised me in this whole because I haven't seen him act in anything that wasn't comedic before. I recently saw him in GI Joe as the main villain and thought he gave a terrible performance. But in this I was able to care about his character and feel all of his emotions. Zooey Deschanel also surprised me. The last movie I saw her in was Yes Man, in which I thought that she gave a lazy performance and appeared like she wasn't paying attention for some reason. She plays the character effectively because you start off liking the character and then by the end, you will think she's evil. It's not that often that a I can change my opinion of a character so quickly, but she pulled it off. The only other performances that are worth mentioning are the Tom's coworkers who were there to support him and be humorous, even though their not big name actors. None of their jokes fell flat for me and I was constantly laughing at them. I didn't expect the movie to be so funny.
It was directed by Marc Webb and 500 Days of Summer is actually his first film. He actually used to do music videos and he even uses that skill in the film. Half way in to the movie there's a very well choreographed dance scene where everyone is dancing in the streets that felt like a music video. When this part comes in the movie it's very unexpected, but it is very funny to watch.
The main problem with romantic comedies is usually a bad script. That's not the case here because everything is so clever and intelligent, that it's so delightful to watch. It's written to be more realistic. When they first meet, it is very awkward and that would usually be what would happen in real life. The script writers previously wrote The Pink Panther 2, which shows that they must not be consistent because that was terrible and dumb. Hopefully, they'll be able to top this film because it was excellent and for a first time director, it's a big achievement.
There's one scene in particular that I really enjoyed. Tom was attending a party and was imagining his expectations for it. For an entire 3 minute scene, there is a split screen with the right side showing expectations and the left side showing the reality. It's very interesting to pay attention to both screens and this is the originality I'm talking about.
To conclude this review, I'm going to give 500 Day of Summer a 10/10. I think it was one of the best films I've seen all year and the best romantic comedy I've ever seen period. I really hope it gets nominated for a Best Picture. I think everyone should see it because it's too good to miss and I know people aren't going to give it a chance because it's an independent movie and it's not playing everywhere, but I recommend it even if you just want to be put in a good mood for 90 minutes.