Review of (500) Days of Summer (2009) by Seng Wee T — 07 Jan 2013

Had this in my Blu-ray collection for awhile, but was waiting for the right time to watch it. I've been told it's an 'anti-love story', and I'd have to be in the right mood to watch something like this. I've had the soundtrack for a longgg time (since the movie was released actually) and I absolutely love it. The Temper Trap song 'Sweet Disposition' is a phenomenal song and fits into the movie well.

'(500) Days of Summer' is not exactly an 'anti-love story', but it's not a romantic comedy in the traditional sense either. It's more about the preconceptions that people have about love and what it means to different people. And Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) definitely have very different views of what love is.

What is brilliant about this movie is that the subject matter is taken with a completely honest approach. It doesn't gloss love over like so many Hollywood movies. It makes it real and palpable. We get to see when Tom's expectations of his relationship with Summer don't always match up with the reality, and that is what makes it so good. The writing, of course, is fantastic. (I can't watch badly written films- so that's why you probably won't see reviews of any. I can sit through a movie for about 5-10 minutes and tell you whether or not it's going to be good. Call it a gift.) The photography is also quite excellent. There's one scene with a nighttime wedding reception that is only lit in white sparkly 'Christmas-style' lights, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Speaking of absolutely gorgeous, my future wife (ahem, Zooey Deschanel of course) is sweet, lovable, and fun to watch as always. She plays the part so well, you start to wonder if she IS like Summer in real life. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues to show he has a penchant for choosing awesome scripts. The movie is shown out-of-order (chronologically) but once you get used to it, it's not as jarring as you'd think it would be.

I have nothing really negative to say about this movie, except that I was wanting more when the movie ended. I'm not spoiling anything when I tell you the heart and soul of this movie is in the last two scenes, so don't stop watching. This movie is NOT for everyone (especially hopeless romantics) because it isn't always rosy. It's not exactly sad either. There is hope to be found in this film, as there is in life. And that is the best complement I can give to this movie. It's not always optimistic, but it IS realistic and that's what makes it beautiful.