(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Director: Marc Webb
Story: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Cast: Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel,
Music: Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen 
Time: 95 minutes
Bottom-line: Realistic, funny and charming 

This is not a love story. It is a story about love.
That one line is the foundation upon which the film is built, and it is also the main reason why I liked the film – the way it distinguishes between the two terms. The voiceover makes it clear from the beginning that this film is not going to be like any other romance film, and the director and crew stick to it. (500) Days of Summer is a refreshingly new look at rom-coms, boosted by stellar performances by Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.
The boy: Tom Hansen (JGL) is a trained architect, but works at a greeting card company in LA. The girl: Summer Finn (Deschanel), the new assistant to Tom’s boss. She immediately catches the attention of everyone at the office, and one night, in a drunken state, Tom’s friend reveals to her that Tom is attracted to her. Over the next few months, they grow closer to each other, but Summer insists that she does not want a boyfriend. The film explores the relationship over the course of 500 days, which are narrated to us in a non-linear fashion.

JGL as Tom (left) and
Deschanel as Summer. This is
the scene where they first meet

The 500 day period covers all the ups and downs of the relationship between Tom and Summer. They first talk in the elevator, then become friends, then get really close, eventually get into a fight, break up, and move on, with a slight twist at the end (which reminds me of John Keats’ Ode: To Autumn!). The turning point of their relation is day #290, when they break up. So the non-linear narration shows us incidents before and after that day, to bring out the contrast in Tom’s feelings – for example, first we see how he describes different aspects of Summer, giving a reason for liking each one, and later we see him describing the same aspects, but giving a reason to hate the very same aspects! The story felt realistic, and all emotions were exactly as one would expect in real life – it’s not an ideal relationship, and all the problems one gets in a “love at first sight” relation are explored here.

(500) Days of Summer is the film that almost single-handedly revived Gordon-Levitt’s acting career in style. After a hiatus from acting to pursue education, JGL returned to Hollywood with this film being his first major performance post his break. He seems to be the perfect actor for playing “the boy” in rom-coms – he has the sensitivity, charm and humour required for it. The scene where he breaks down in front of his co-workers is one to look out for. Zooey Deschanel plays “the girl”, and her character is tricky to understand – to see her get so intimate with Tom and then break up with him may make you hate her, even more so when she ends up marrying someone else, but when she says “One day I woke up and I was sure of something I was never sure of with you,” it shows that your partner need not respond to a relation the same way you do. All relationships are chosen by fate, and sometimes it may turn out that in your life, love is just a fantasy. Sometimes it takes 500 days to realise it, but if you are lucky, day #500 with one person can give way to a day #1 with another...

So, being replete with humour and charm, (500) Days of Summer is a rom-com that you should not miss. It does not have big stars, or a classic storyline, but it sure is realistic, and unforgettable!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 86%