that I discovered they planned to screen another showing of 500 Days of Summer, due to its immense popularity. Immediately buying a ticket, I found myself in the theater a few hours later awaiting with batted breath. I looked around me and watched as Joseph Gorden Levitt took a seat in the row behind, smiling and shaking hands with a number of fans. Although I too was a great fan I couldn't bring myself to go over there, instead I stayed in my seat and the movie started.An hour and a half later, I was standing up and applauding for all I was worth. In fact the whole cinema was, with every single audience member whistling, clapping and laughing at the brilliance of it all. Then Joseph Gorden Levitt, the only cast member of the film who showed up ran on stage and started answering questions. Bubbling with enthusiasm he jumped around, laughing, yelling, and keeping the lot of us entertained. He answered the straight questions with straight answers and the silly questions with straight out of hell silly answers. And at the end ran up and down the stage filming us all with a camcorder, saying he'd remember the day forever, I sure do.Then he went back to his seat and as everyone exited the cinema I swallowed my pride, walked up and shook his hand saying, "Amazing performance, you're an inspiration." Then it was over, I found myself being shuffled with the crowd out of the theater and into the cold outside. But even though I was in a t-shirt, I couldn't feel the chill, being instead caught up in the entertainment and thoughts of a vibrant funny film. A film that scores high in all the boxes and one I will certainly see again.100 out of 100.

almost immediately she is who he has been searching for. This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story." 500 Days of Summer is an intriguingly original take on falling in love. Every emotion involved with a relationship seems to be relayed; from the strange and quirky aspects of new love to the tragedy of heartbreak. Marc Webb deftly incorporates his ingenuity and comedy into the film. The writers quite skilfully enrich the film with one of the most immensely beautiful and original screenplays to come along in a while.Tom, a greeting-card writer with artistic dreams beyond his mundane job, meets Summer and quickly falls for her. Eventually, he manages to charm her into a "casual relationship". So begins the 500 days that chronicle the happiness, heartbreak, and every other aspect involved with the often changing tides of romance.500 Days of Summer portrays a relationship that is more realistic and less clichéd than most others in it's woefully unoriginal and formulaic genre. In doing so, the film never feels anything less than completely innovative and incredibly fun. The film's story is told in a refreshingly non-linear fashion that strives for and often reaches perfection with each and every scene.The acting is wonderful, especially from the two leads. Since starring in Mysterious Skin a disturbingly compelling film , Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been one of my favorite actors and proves yet again why he is one of the most talented actors of his generation. His performance was truly fantastic. Zooey Deschanel is absolutely wonderful in her portrayal of Summer and her quirky personalities. Their chemistry is wondrously compelling to watch and their moments together seem wholly convincing and genuine. The supporting cast is terrific throughout and very fun to watch. The music was marvelous and really added to the film. Everyone involved does an amazing job to connect the several elements of love into a satisfying and moving conclusion. The film often shuffles between whimsy and realistic, but, rather than getting lost because of it, the story only seems to be enhanced due to the chaotically transitional moods.500 Days of Summer is a hilarious, deftly thoughtful film about love. The performances are astonishing and the writing is sublime. It is a thoroughly clever and impressive film that shouldn't be missed.

As I said before, Levitt wowed me with his spot-on Sam Spade impersonation in Rian Johnson's homage to noir films: Brick. In 500 Days however, Levitt sheds his hard boiled detective act and trades it in for the sensitivity and bitterness of Holden Caufield. The sensitive male role is a performance that's often exaggerated to the point where the audience often finds themselves annoyed–and even hating–the character. Levitt's Tom never losses his sympathetic appeal even when his obsession verges on obnoxious behavior in the latter part of the film.Zooey Deschannel is incredible as a thinly veiled Annie Hall clone–Summer. She's the product of a broken home, independent, blunt with her sexuality and incredibly beautiful. This could have been such a simple role to botch. Nothing that Summer says is particularly witty or catchy, but Deschannel just as Diane Keaton with Annie Hall manages to make her such an intriguing character through her physical presence . Summer is not only a character that must be watched, but one that must also be read. She must be read through her facial expressions, how she moves her body, and–especially–how she looks at Tom when she's speaking to him or he is speaking to her.The actors aren't the only ones who should be praised. Marc Webb does quite an impressive job with his directorial debut–probably the best since Zach Braff's Garden State. This story could have easily fallen to pieces in the hand of even a seasoned director but Webb rises to the challenge with the talent of virtuoso. The cinematography is never over-the-top or artsy just for the sake of being artsy. Every shot, every angle, and every neat little trick that Webb employs has its purpose. Hopefully, this film marks the beginning of a young and talented auteur's superb career.I feel that it would be wrong not to mention the soundtrack. After all, Tom's attraction to Summer blossoms when she displays her knowledge of the Smith's catalog. The experience simply would not be nearly as enthralling without the music. Every song serves its accompanying scene splendidly and helps the viewer connect with the two leads. I would say that it's even better than the Juno and Garden State soundtracks simply because those soundtrack are more like stellar mix CDs than anything else–there is no theme or running emotion connecting the songs together. 500 Days is a different story. You can almost decipher the story just from listening to the soundtrack. The beginning tracks that deal with the yearning for a crush and the utter joy of ending up with that crush, the middle section of the CD that encompasses the fading of the joy and the eventual disintegration of the relationship, and the final portion of the soundtrack that deals with recovery from and acceptance of the lost relationship. Ultimately, it's an emotion provoking selection of music that's as vital to the movie as the acting and the directing. I would argue that 500 Days of Summer is destined to become a modern classic film, ranking along side Milk, There Will Be Blood, Garden State, Children of Men, American Psycho, and Little Miss Sunshine. Why? It's not because it's a particularly quotable film or that it's an innovative movie with some neat camera tricks. Instead, I think it will because it has a soul. It's a movie that takes a snapshot of love in the modern world and bravely presents it without removing any of the blemishes.

relationship hell, you'll probably fare better with renting the newest addition to the Rambo series. For the rest of you who've at one time or another gotten your hearts ripped out of your chests and stomped into a million pieces only to turn you into unshaven, alcoholic hermits on the brink of starvation…this movie is dedicated to you. Tom Joseph-Gordon-Levitt is a wanna-be architect turned professional greeting card writer whose life is thrown for a loop when he suddenly falls for the "new girl" Summer Zooey Deschanel, Almost Famous . As one who appeared most certainly unattainable at first glance, Tom manages to charm her into what she coins as a, "casual relationship." Eventually, Tom ends up questioning their status with one another, which manages to put strain on the relationship, causing her to request the dreaded "time apart." 500 Days of Summer chronicles the bitter sweet beginnings, the untimely endings and all of that confusing stuff that takes place during the in betweens of a relationship that just isn't meant to be. 500 Days of Summer is presented in an effective non-linear style that sets it apart from its romantic comedy predecessors, rotating back and forth between dates signified by a simple title card flashing in between scenes 2 , 50 , 150 and so on to represent the various days in the course of Toms roller coaster of a relationship. This seesaw method of bouncing to and fro successfully manages to force the viewer in a physically engaging shared experience of Tom's feelings, which is something every director aspires to elicit from their intended audience. The real kudos go to Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, whose script is practically flawless. You can't help but feel that their authenticity and attention to detail while constructing each scene through appropriately sarcastic and funny dialogue exchanges among all of the main characters involved, particularly those between Deschanel and Levitt which come across as heartbreakingly real and genuine. Their creative way of crafting the simple concept of a break up through unconventional story structuring is a refreshing concept that begs to be seen more in a world where most conventional films tend to play it safe. Leads Deschanel and Levitt manage to bring something quite special to the screen in their portrayals of Tom and Summer both "last nameless" . Their chemistry is really what makes the film a joy to watch. Mostly thanks to Neustadter and Weber's superb dialog, both actors seem so comfortable in their roles that their interactions with one another transcend the screen and naturally unfold before our eyes as if we were voyeurs to their unraveling, wanting so much to change the fate of their outcome, but helpless to do so. Deschanel is sexy, carefree and bound to be adored by males everywhere as Summer. Levitt captures the struggle of the neurotic "boy in love" exceptionally through all of his various stages of emotional imbalance. 500 Days of Summer is a poem to every down and out guy who thinks he's the only one whose ever been dragged through the mill by their own Summer. What undoubtedly ends up making this picture so brilliant is how relatable it is to its victims and victimizers a like. When all is said and done, there is most definitely a lesson to be learned by Tom's experiences. Everyone you meet along the way, whether just passing through or sticking around for awhile, has a purpose. In the end nothing lasts forever, relationships begin, relationships end. Try to be thankful for all the people that broke your heart, they more than likely helped you find yourself in the process …especially you, Summer…bitch.

heavenly way to die." No wonder Tom soon falls head over heels for this girl.As events unfold out of sequence, you know all along Tom has fallen for a time bomb of a woman, and he can't even see the countdown. When that bomb finally blows up in his face, it unfolds with powerful simplicity-- no exposition or dialog, just two juxtaposed events that capture the heartache of reality hitting a person who sees a person through the filter of deep-seated emotions that were planted at too young an age.So many romantic films nowadays concern themselves with cute ideas; take 'He's Just Not That Into You' or 'Serendipity' for example. Even movies like 'Knocked Up' where a pot-smoking, video-gaming, narcissistic slob tries to turn his life around to try to be a father feels more contrived than real. These movies forget about human feelings. Who cares about stock or cartoonish characters in love. The couple in 500 Days of Summer have true chemistry. There are some beautiful, subtle moments of tenderness as well as some heart- rending moments of disconnectedness between the two that never comes across as heavy-handed. The movie constantly reminds you that these are two different people with different ideas of a relationship, yet they stubbornly continue dating, and they remain lovable all the same.An omniscient narrator sets the film up early on by noting "this is not a love story." And, in a way, it isn't. It's a story about feelings. It just so happens 500 Days of Summer captures the sensation of falling in love better than most movies.For more of my reviews, visit indieethos.com

This goddess of all things shabby chic doesn't believe in love, furthermore she doesn't want to be held down by a relationship. Oh No! Poor Tom. Those ocean blue eyes, that voice, that smile, those eyes.... oh those eyes, how could Tom not fall deeply in love with Summer. So begins the season of love, the 500 Days of Summer. In 500 amazing days Tom will learn about relationships, reconciliations a good Ex never dies , Love, Lose and most importantly about moving forward.Now talk about great performances, this ones got two. You want Zooey, you got Zooey. She's all over this one, easily one of her top performances to date. She is simply truth in this movie, she'll make you love her and then she'll slowly break your heart but you'll just want to love her more until all you see are those glowing blue eyes in your loneliest nightmares. Joseph Gordon Levitt is so prime here, the chemistry between he and Zooey clicks perfectly and not only that but since every woman,man and child is in love with the knee bending powers of Ms. Deschanel it must be said that JGL gives such a strong performance that he clearly owns this movie all the way till the very end. You might come on down to the cinema looking for Zooey but you'll be rushing home to hit up the IMDb to see what the 3rd' Rock kids been up to over the last 8 hint... see 2005's Brick . While watching JGL's performance it's pleasantly reminiscent of a pre-Brokeback Heath. He has such a charm about him that glows and an easy smile that jumps off the screen, plus much like Heath he has the chops to take it dark and lonesome with sincerity if the flick requires. The rest of the cast rounds out nicely with a few supporting folks like Clark Gregg who plays Tom's square Boss and Geoffrey Arend who is good for a few good sidekick chuckles. By the way special shout out to Ian Reed Kesler who played the "Douche" IMDBs words not mine with perfection. That must have been an interesting audition call.. looking for 30-something dude to play the "Douche". Well Played Sir! Now the dynamic duo aside, Marc Webb the Director has got a little something-something going on. Past sins aside directing Jesse McCartney videos, WTF? , it seems that his music video hipness lends a freshness and style to the overall appearance of this flick. The movie very rarely missed its mark and by golly its got real DEPTH!. Needless to say this makes it quite a bit more interesting then the latest McConaughey dude what happened, you were so cool in Dazed and Kate Hudson needs a paycheck mindless studio romance. You'll have lots to talk about and feelings to relive long after this ones stopped rolling the credits. Additional strong points here are a visual aesthetic that has a modern meets Capraesque remix, which felt very much built around Zooey Deschanel's fabulous style. The colors and landscape are all complimentary to the movie, downtown LA never looked so nice! The other thing we got going on here is a killer soundtrack, built around some Smiths, Doves, and a few others, not mention the fact that once again we get a chance to hear Zooey Deschanel do a little karaoke in the movie which is a tasty little treat.Bottom line 500 Days is going to be on your mind in 2009 and chances are that like a good EX it will always pop back in your life and you'll dust if off and pop it in the player and go down memory lane remembering all good stuff, then like a swift punch in the gut like only a good EX can, it'll break your heart all over again.See it, believe it.

.Director Marc Webb throws a bit of everything at us - just to prove this is not a traditional love story. We get the fun of memory blender - flashbacks like Day 488, Day 2, Day 159 - well you get the point. That is how most of us remember anyway: non-linear. We also get a funny musical number in the park, a b & w Bergmanesque dramatization, and a leading man whose poetic musings are limited to his writing quips for a greeting card company. Oh, he also takes love advice from his 11 year old soccer-playing sister Chloe Moretz , but wisely declines most of it from his best friend played by sexist, drunken and funny co-worker, Geoffrey Arend.What I really like about the film is that it is different, yet very realistic. So often our "dream" girl is just not quite a fit in this world, yet she and the next guy are just right. Doesn't seem fair, but in reality, it is not only fair, but perfectly just. And remember, there is always another season ... maybe Autumn?

would a child into doing love 'properly.' And sometimes, true love dies, and no sea of tears can change that.Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, is fun, beautiful and selfish. Undoubtedly the villain, the film seeks a reversal of standards; the male is now being preyed upon.Is Tom naive? or is Summer a cruel and self interested girl? The only thing that really bothered me was the director's incessant need to punctuate scenes of emotional substance with cliché romantic comedy relief. He already broke custom, why conform?

much.Despite some overly cute elements the several scenes between Gordon-Levitt and his little sister, who gives him romantic advice during timeouts at her soccer game, for example , " 500 Days of Summer" feels one hundred times more authentic than the usual romantic comedy fare churned out by Hollywood. It suggests that some of our most significant relationships are more valuable for what they teach us about ourselves than the fleeting emotional connections they give us to another person.Grade: A