Review: (500) Days of Summer (2009)

Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (10 Things I Hate About You, The Lookout), Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man, Elf), Geoffrey Arend, Matthew Gray Gubler (Alvin and the Chipmunks), Chloe Moretz, Clark Gregg (Iron Man)

The Deal: Tom (Gordon-Levitt), a greeting-card writer and hopeless romantic, is devastated when his girlfriend, Summer (Deschanel), suddenly dumps him. Determined to win her back, he reflects back on their 500 days together to find out what went wrong so he can try and fix things. Unfortunately, expectations and reality are rarely the same, but looking back helps Tom rediscover his true passions in life.

Thoughts: We're told right off the bat that this is a film about boy-meets-girl that is most definitely not a love story. Though much of the film would appear otherwise, the statement couldn't be more true. Tom believes in true love and soul mates, while Summer doesn't believe in love at all. Though he thinks he can change things for her, despite his best efforts, he can't take things to the next level. It's very sad at times watching him struggle, because for many viewers, Tom's position is one that they may be familiar with themselves. The film takes a very serious look out how relationships pan out in real life, but also reminds the viewers that events in life happen for a reason, and if you prevent yourself from dwelling in the past and moving on to live your life, things will work out and you can find happiness.

Though there's an assortment of supporting actors, it's Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel that devour almost every scene. Both do an excellent job with their roles. Gordon-Levitt has gone from obscurity after the popular 10 Things I Hate About You and roared back into the spotlight with this role. It's a powerful yet grounded performance that feels very real and as mentioned earlier, can be related to by the audience. For Deschanel, the film showcases how cute she is. It builds her up to be the perfect, most adorable girlfriend a guy could find only to have her crush the boyfriends heart with his own theories. She's not made out to be the bad girl, but rather a perfect example of what it is like trying to find one's true love.

Verdict: (500) Days of Summer is a wonderful romantic-comedy that avoids the black hole of being a chick-flick. It's serious and rooted in reality, yet maintains the idea that true love can exist and that even when things seem down, life can work out for the best. ☆☆☆☆1/2