500 Days of Summer Review (2009)

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

In 500 Days of Summer, Tom is a man who believes in some sort of destiny while Summer is a girl who doesn't share that belief. They meet at Tom and Summer's office, a greeting card company. Through initial small talk meetings and common interest they become a pair. However, they eventually break up and about one thirds of the movie revolves around their reconciliation with what occurred between the two. The film also uses nonlinear format by jumping from various days within the 500-day span of Tom and Summer's relationship. In the end, Tom gets himself back to his roots and starts looking to become an architect, ending with him meeting a new girl - Autumn.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel both do an outstanding job performing their character's personality and quirks. Joseph Gordon-Levitt truly makes an emotional connection with the audience whatever his mood, especially when Tom is depressed. Zooey Deschanel also captures Summer’s personality of carefree attitude and opposing views with a smooth style and powerful, meaningful dialogue. 500 Days of Summer, critically acclaimed by critics, is high on my list of favorable movies. The flow of the movie is just right, and creates almost a real effect of time and people, despite the non-linear editing. The ending is purely genius in my opinion, with a light-hearted but effective way to demonstrate how life goes on. The use of non-linear editing also entrances you to fill in the blanks in Tom and Summer's relationship.

This film is worthy of its critical acclaim position and creates an emotional interest in these two peoples lives that were nothing more than teachers for one another. On a five star rating system, the movie easily earns five out of five.