500 Days of Summer was one of the most rewarding movie experiences I’ve ever had. When I first heard about this movie back in the summer of 2009, I thought there would be no way I would ever see it, let alone see it in the theater, let alone see it in the theater and enjoy it. But as word of mouth began to spread and as the movie sustained life in the theater, it became inevitable that I would eventually see it. Nevertheless, I still was convinced that I would not like it. I was wrong. I loved it. Not only was it my favorite movie of 2009, but it most likely has a permanent spot in my all-time top 25.
It was not helping this movie at the time because its stars (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel) were relatively unheard of to me. I had seen Gordon-Levitt’s 2007 drama The Lookout (a great film), and I remember him being good at it but not thinking he was anything special at the time. Looking back, I laugh because of how fantastic an actor he is. Deschanel was someone I had never heard of. Director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) was directing his first feature film, so he said he was unknown. What got me to this movie more than anything else was my curiosity about it. Now, Gordon-Levitt, Deschanel, and Webb are household names. But at the time, the three combined to bring something that I found to be magical onto the screen.
I cannot say how much I love this movie. 2009 was a pretty good movie year. However, I felt a clear separation between the top four films of the year and all the others. Along with 500 Days of Summer were the fantastic trio Up In the Air, Crazy Heart, and The Road. And while I loved these three movies a lot (Up In the Air would have been my top movie for quite a few other years), none of these movies came close to the all-around experience of 500 Days of Summer. Likewise, as I remember each of these great movies years after the fact, 500 Days of Summer still evokes the strongest memories.
This movie toys with your heart. A narrator speaks the movie’s first lines, saying, “This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.” And yet, we don’t believe him… up to the end. How could it not be a love story as soon as we meet Tom (Gordon-Levitt – The Dark Knight Rises, 50/50)? He is the most likable character in any movie of 2009. He’s sweet, kind, thoughtful, funny, innocent, and hopeful. But he’s lonely. He has not yet met “the one” and feels his life won’t be complete until he does. It seems to be his life’s mantra. Enter Summer (Deschanel’s New Girl, All the Real Girls). She’s beautiful, funny, charming, and charismatic. She’s irresistible, and she knows it. She has Tom’s full attention from the moment she enters the film. Summer has recently relocated to California from Chicago and has just started working at Tom’s greeting card company as a receptionist. Tom is a copywriter for the firm. The first time Tom sees Summer, it’s as if his prayers have been answered.
The movie is told in non-chronological order, adding so much uniqueness to the storyline. Tom and Summer enter a relationship, but it isn’t the fairytale he dreamed of. At times she is everything he could have ever dreamed of, but at other times she is so callous towards him that we, audience members, are hurt by her words and actions. We travel the course of 500 days with Tom and Summer and witness firsthand how happy she can make him feel one moment and how miserable the next. And as much we want to believe that this romance will end on a positive note, we become less and less confident at each turn. It becomes the tale of how Summer will hurt Tom next. And through all of the ups and downs, he cannot turn her away. She tears him apart, but he just can’t let her go. I think this is a reality for many relationships where only one of the partners is giving total effort.
This movie certainly should have received some love during awards season. It did get its share of Golden Globe nominations, but it got snubbed for an Oscar consideration. This movie should have been nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Editing. Those two should have been locks. I also think that Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel deserved Best Actor and Best Actress nods.
Plot 10/10 (We can all relate to it on so many levels)
Character Development 10/10 (We love Tom and want the best for him at the end. Never does it feel like Joseph Gordon-Levitt is playing the character of Tom. Instead, it feels like Tom exists as a human being. The same can indeed be said about Summer…except for the love part)
Character Chemistry 10/10 (Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel light up the screen in a way that two relative newcomers to the big screen have rarely done before)
Acting 10/10 (I’ve seen this movie half a dozen times, and each time I experience Tom’s misery right with him and shake my head at Summer’s bitchiness)
Screenplay 10/10 (It should have not only been nominated for an Academy Award…it should have won. It should have also won for best editing)
Directing 10/10 (Marc Webb is tearing it up with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, but this is the movie he should be most well known for)
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10 (Download the soundtrack. It’s fantastic)
Hook and Reel 10/10 (It grabs you from the first second and doesn’t let you go. This is one wild ride full of ups and downs)
Universal Relevance 10/10 (Without a doubt, we can all relate)
100%
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