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| FILM DETAILS | Certificate
12A | | Cast
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Zooey Deschanel. | | Directors
Marc Webb. | | Screenwriters
Scott Neustadter
Michael H Weber. | | Running Time
95 minutes |
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500 Days of Summer (12A) Plot
Tom (Gordon Levitt) falls in love with Summer (Deschanel) but things don't go quite according to the romantic dream he has in mind.Review
(500) Days Of Summer is the cinematic equivalent of a song. If you want to get specific, it’s the cinematic equivalent of a Belle And Sebastian song: self-consciously quirky, certainly, but wry, winning and full of irresistible hooks.
What (500) Days feels like is a compilation of conversations and bits that would fall through the gaps in a traditional rom-com. Eschewing meet-cutes (this couple meet boringly at work) and last-gasp dashes to the airport, it is a film about the thrill of realising the girl you fancy loves the same band (in this case, The Smiths), the joy of making trips to Ikea magical adventures or the hollowness of going out on dates when you’re still pining for your ex. Yet, like a warm ’n’ fuzzy Memento, it scoots through these moments in a fizzy, random discontinuity, butting the good times against the painful memories, gaining emotional mileage as each informs the other.
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber’s sparky, ingeniously structured screenplay is given maximum pizzazz by pop promo director Webb, throwing in a joyous dance number to celebrate Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) first night with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) or a clever splitscreen to show the expectation vs. the reality when Tom tries to woo Summer back. Not all of it works — an omniscient narrator is introduced then forgotten about, Tom has a wise-acre kid sister (Chloë Moretz) doing the Wisdom Beyond Her Years thing — but there is so much beguiling playfulness that, if something falls flat, there is always a great Han Solo gag or Fellini parody just around the corner.
Standing up for the foolishly romantic, the charming Gordon-Levitt registers every ounce of hope, joy and angst beneath his geeky demeanour. In the guardedly romantic camp, Deschanel has done the enigmatic space cadet before — see Yes Man and Gigantic — but gives it a melancholy twist.
It is, perhaps, ultimately too smart-aleck to have real emotional wallop. You wish that the film would give Summer the same TLC it lavishes on Tom, and the film has a last-gasp gag that feels pat at the end of something that previously felt something like love itself: gloriously unpredictable, effortlessly fresh and, at its best, leaves you high as a kite.
Verdict
Perfectly played, simultaneously serious and light, endlessly inventive, this is a strong contender for the most original date movie of the year. (Terrific) stuff.
Reviewer:
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Average user rating for 500 Days of Summer
| What! | | | Absolutely the worst film I've seen in an age. Not funny, not charming. not cool. 4 stars? Are you people mad? ... Read More
| | | hcfd About me | | 11:21, 09 February 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | What! | | | Absolutely the worst film I've seen in an age. Not funny, not charming. not cool. 4 stars? Are you people mad? ... Read More
| | | hcfd About me | | 11:21, 09 February 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: 500 Days of Summer | | | In short, 500 Days of Summer is a film that simply shouldn’t be missed, it is a brilliant movie, and total genre buster; a romantic comedy that isn’t a love story, that is actually funny, quirky, and for once original, and never patronizes the audience or reuses the same 20 year old plot that viewers have begun to grow so tired of. It’s a refreshingly honest film that is completely unique and will appeal to both men and women in equal measure (something almost no other romance films can honestl... Read More
| | | Matt575 About me | | 06:41, 04 February 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | Original & Touching | | | I put this film on the other night with no real expectations of how it was going to be. I'm quite open when it comes to movies, especially for a guy, in terms of I quite like the odd 'Romcom' - even the cliched and predictable ones that follow the usual pattern. I can appreciate them for what they are. But then some of my all time favourite films are the ones that are a bit different, that show romance in something closer to what I'd call 'real'. High Fidelity, Eternal Shunshine, The Garden... Read More
| | | lauriedunsire About me | | 19:39, 21 January 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | Loved it | | | For me, this movie ranks up there with High Fidelity as a rare film that gives all the highs and lows of a real love life, with everything from uplifting feelgood moments (the dance in the street is a highlight) to utterly gut-renching heartbreak. ... Read More
| | | philshepp About me | | 23:35, 20 January 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | Loved it | | | For me, this movie ranks up there with High Fidelity as a rare film that gives all the highs and lows of a real love life, with everything from uplifting feelgood moments (the dance in the street is a highlight) to utterly gut-renching heartbreak. ... Read More
| | | philshepp About me | | 23:34, 20 January 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: | | I've read numerous comments on here and elsewhere and I must say the premise of the film has caught my interest. I've only started taking notice of Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently but he seems like a very fine actor and as others have alluded; Zooey Deschanel is a lovely gem. Not a patch on Bryce Dallas Howard/Amy Lou Adams but a lovely runner-up! I do like how the film seemingly makes an irreverent attempt at the romantic-comedy genre and to liven what has become a stale genre. Judging by what I... Read More
| | | Emyr Thy King About me | | 21:41, 13 January 2010 | Report This Post | |
| | | | | | I've watched this movie about 15 times, and it still carries that warming touch and keeps me high as a kite for hours. ... Read More
| | | andy399 About me | | 13:29, 29 December 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | Loved it! | | | This is my favourite film of the year! It is one of those films that you can watch over and over again! It leaves you feeling warm and happy! The characters are so loveable and funny! ... Read More
| | | klen13 About me | | 00:19, 14 December 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: Nice.... | | finally saw this last night at the the Student Union cinema - absolutely loved it - one of my films of the year i think.
it also happened to the biggest selling film we've put on this semester - beating Harry Potter by over a hundred seats - not really sure why this was so popular when other posters talk about very few people going to see it.
... Read More
| | | richCie About me | | 14:36, 12 December 2009 | Report This Post | |
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