Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber with its slightly odd title, (500) Days of Summer has two alternate tag lines are that sum up the story of the film nicely: ‘Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.’ and ‘This is not a love story. This is a story about love.’ Straight away you can tell there will be something refreshingly different about the rather oddly titled (500) Days of Summer compared to most films within the romantic comedy genre.
Zooey Deschanel is as lovable as always as Summer Finn and stretches herself a little more than we have seen her do before in terms of acting. She sings once again in this film which seems to be a staple now of all her films, and this is no bad thing, as she has a wonderful voice. And even coming from a guy, you should be sure to look out for Deschanel’s seemingly endless wardrobe of stunning dresses. Maybe this is one for the girls, but the boys might enjoy admiring her as well!
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, probably best known for his starring role in Brick from a few years ago now in 2005, plays Tom Hansen. Here he is likable and you could almost believe that someone as pretty as Deschanel might go out with him!
Marc Webb’s direction is light and fluffy when required but also has a darker side to it as the arc of the story changes and flips back from good days to bad days of Summer and Tom’s relationship. It’s excellent work from the previously, more or less, unknown director.
500 Days of Summer is quirky and off-beat. It has some really good moments and overall is a film that you could certainly watch over and over. Ok so some people might still find it a little too sweet for their liking but at least for the main part it’s trying to do something different and not just be another Hollywood cookie-cutter love story.
By Kevin Stanley
