Well, I’m a big fan of Zooey Deschanel!
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Directed By: Marc Webb
The Prologue
With me wanting to switch things up a bit and not just have horror movies all time, I’ve decided to watch and review the darling from 2009 known as, (500) Days of Summer. Which should be perfectly fine with you guys right? After all, we here at ZDR like to give our readers a full on meal. You wouldn’t want just pizza every day for the rest of your lives would you?? Of course not! So back to the point, it’s time to review a romantic comedy that seems to get a lot of love from the masses, but will someone as hard to please as me like it? I like Zooey Deschanel, who is is in this thing. She looks a lot like Katy Perry you know? Maybe, that’s why I like her soo much? Anywho! On with the review..
The Movie
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) seems to have grown up believing that one day he will meet THE one. And when he meets THE ONE, all will be fine and dandy in the world. The birds will sing, the sun will shine, rainbows will pop out of nowhere, and he’ll live happily ever after, the end. And when Summer (Zooey Deschanel) starts work at the same place Tom works, he is SURE that at long last he has found that special someone who he was meant to find and be with. There’s only one little problem, Summer, doesn’t really believe in love. Worse than that, she doesn’t really believe in boyfriends and relationships as a whole. So we join in with the film as Tom reflects back on the just over one year that he knew Summer Finn.
If you have ever met someone who you felt was the person you were meant to be with, the person who you felt was the entire purpose for everything that had ever happened before in your life, only for them to not feel the same way in return, then this movie is for you. A romantic comedy with just enough of a serious tone tossed in is pretty much the best way to sum up (500) Days of Summer. I suppose one could say that the film is “cute”, but perhaps that’s also one of it’s faults at times because it does tend to get a little too “cute”. I could bring up for an example the awkward dance number about 30 minutes in, but I won’t..Oh snap, looks like I just did! DARN IT!
While you could point that out as one of the few bad things about the film, you can’t fault the acting at all. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel (along with a cool cast of co-stars, one of which being, Chloe Moretz) turn in very good performances that will probably remind you of yourself or someone you know. Gordon-Levitt as the love-sick, too kind hearted and sensitive, Tom and Deschanel as the somewhat hidden away puzzle you just can’t get all the pieces to, Summer, are a lot of fun on the screen. I once knew a girl like Summer so therefore I could somewhat relate to Tom in the film. You being able to relate (and most will be able to) is one of the things that really drives home the movie. If you can stomach the hipster-ish vibe the film lets off, you will probably enjoy it even more.
The film goes back and forth between the good and the bad with Summer and Tom and I admit it was a fun ride. The overall message of the film seems to be that even if today you feel like you can’t go on after a relationship has ended, that there’s always hope for tomorrow. Perhaps there is that special someone out there you are meant to find but unfortunately it might not be who you think it’s supposed to be. It’s a good message and a heartfelt one, but I do wonder if the movie doesn’t have the wind kicked out of you too much by seeing what Tom goes through to make you even care about the point once you reach the film’s end? Being more realistic in films like this is a breath of fresh air and I’m sure the fact that the director has stated that about 75% of what we see really happened to him in real life plays a major part in that. However, even with that being said, sometimes you still just want the Disney ending, ya know? But as movies seem to show more and more now days, that isn’t always the case..and such is life right? Either way, it’s a good but not great movie. Perfect for watching at 3 a.m. with a box of Twinkies and tissues.
The Conclusion
It was fun but just a little too cute and corny at times for my taste. But for what it’s worth the film does pack a good story, well paced, and great acting. It may be just a little too bitter-sweet for some, but that doesn’t make it terrible. At the same time however, I wouldn’t call it GREAT like a lot of folks out there have. If you want to just kick back and see a good movie, then you could do a lot worse than (500) Days of Summer.
The Rating (6.5/10)
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