(500) Days of Summer
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a greeting card writer, (whose perspective of love has been dramatically skewed due to the over stimulation of listening to British pop music all his life) finds himself hopelessly going through the motions of life waiting for his one true love to walk through the door. To his astounding surprise he thinks it has finally happened. It was love at first sight when Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) walked through the door. For Summer, it wasn’t that simple. She didn’t believe in love. Her modern day antics of love were far from fairy tale, but before you know it, they’re more than just friends and Toms heart is being broken. Take a compelling 500 day trip through the mind of Tom Hansen as he remembers love and heartbreak. Is it truly destiny that defines love? Will Tom win over the more than just average, Summer Finn?
Not Your Average Romance
Marc Webb did a stand up job directing this film. There was a perfect blend of offbeat romance with real life implications. This was a very unique way to put a non love story together. The writing was also extremely witty and inventive which lead to the outcome, which was directionally superb. It wasn’t your average break up, make up, hear wedding bells romantic comedy. There was much more original feeling put into the film that we see in our everyday lives. I think viewers will really appreciate the change of storytelling. Everyone loves a classic romance comedy here and there, but after awhile they all tend to blend together and cease to make an impression. There was no chance that was going to happen in (500) Days of Summer. A bit quirky, but extremely entertaining, I must say the film had me experiencing all kinds of emotion. It was a very nice summers breeze.
The casting was spot on! Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel were a perfect combination. I do believe if anyone else were to have played Summer it would have been extremely difficult to like her at all. She has a glowing charisma that allowed her to easily pull off the role. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the perfect love struck casualty. Hes done it before, but this time he was beyond fantastic. His two best friends were just hilarious! Geoffrey Arend (McKenzie) and Matthew Gray Gubler (Paul) were a huge part of the comedy. Mixed with the straight forwardness of Toms little sister Rachel, played by Chloe Moretz, the little group made quite the odd combination of real life antidotes.
What a fantastic soundtrack! There could not have been a better mix of music to accompany this film. It was perfect. It fit the film so well. Each moment was accented by the perfect combination of music. Not to mention the film was visually beautiful. Dark as it may have been it was still extremely clear and detailed. There were no flashy colors taking over the screen. The picture was soft and very easy to watch. The sound was also great for the most part. There were a couple of times the voices tended to be a bit muffled, but this didn’t affect the feel or flow of the film.
I thought this was a fantastic film and without a seconds hesitation I would recommend it to anyone. It was incredibly inventive and uniquely directed. The layout and writing was very creative. The whole love and fate things was really working for (500) Days of Summer!
Special Features
Disc 1: Lost Days of Summer: Deleted and Extended Scenes
-Bank Dance, Directed by Marc Webb
-Means Cinemash: Sid and Nancy/ (500) Days of Summer
–Not a Love Story: Making of Featurette
-Conversations with Zooey and Joseph
-Music Video:Sweet Disposition by the Temper Trap
-Filmmaking Specials: Summer @ Sundance, Audition Tapes
-Audition Commentary with Director Marc Webb and Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Disc 2: Digital Copy of Film for Portable Media Player