Review of "500 Days of Summer"

“To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die…”- The Smiths

It is this phrase that confirms the main character from “500 Days of Summer” that he has truly found his soul mate. The movie which stars Joseph Gordon Levitt (the kid from “3^rd Rock from the Sun”) and Zooey Deschanel (an exact clone of Katy Perry) is a romantic comedy but not in the conventional sense. I will admit that I am not a big fan of the romantic comedy genre because they seem unrealistic in pretty much every way. The plots of these movies are, in an essence, “romanticized”. I will also admit that when I heard the premise of the movie, I assumed that it was another “romanticized” movie with a tacked on happy ending. Only reason I decided to watch it was because I had seen Mr. Levitt’s work in another movie (“The Lookout” ; Another well done movie)and became a fan of his. It was because of my new admiration for the actor that I was able to find this pleasant movie.

The story is about Tom, a greeting card writer and his relationship with a co- worker named Summer (now you see where the title is coming from). Tom believes in destiny and “love at first sight” ideas while Summer is the exact opposite and does not believe in true love. Now you’re probably thinking “How did these two ever get together?” That occurs when it is revealed that both of them are fans of the British band, The Smiths. Like any couple, they go through their shares of highs and lows and sadly, ends with them drifting apart.

The movie is not linear. It does skip from different time period to different time period but before each scene is shown, the day number is shown. This may cause some confusion about the happenings in the plot but it’s not too difficult to follow. The chemistry between the main actors is great. They look and act like how a couple who are involved in relationships should act. Credit the actors’ abilities and how they react to each other. While the movie is told from a male perspective, the viewer can relate to both the female and male aspects. For me, I related to the male perspective more.

My two criticisms for this movie would be the ending and the main character’s interpretation of the movie “The Graduate”. The plot is credible, but there are some parts that seemed “tacked” on especially the ending. The ending is believable but I felt it was added on to redeem the main character in some way. As for “The Graduate”, Tom saw it as a movie about true love. How he got this interpretation, I do not know. Anyone who has seen the movie knows that it was about people making rash decisions and not being aware of the consequences of their actions.

I enjoyed the movie for many reasons. One of them is that I was Tom. I actually went through the exact emotions he did during the movie. I remember those moments when I met a girl and she had similar interests I had. At that moment, I thought this person was the one. I also recall those moments when you first start a relationship and the overwhelming joy you share with the person. You are just caught in this whirlwind of never-ending happiness. Sadly, I also remember the pain of having my heartbroken when our relationship ends and left me as a confused, mumbling mess trying to figure out what went wrong. I remember all of them and glad I went through it. It is these emotions that makes us, at times cynical of love but also more experienced in finding the right person for us. Call it one of life’s lessons on how to grow old gracefully.

In one aspect of the movie, towards the latter part of the movie, it does give a female perspective on why Tom and Summer’s tryst ends. This is one of the first times in a movie that actually gives an honest reason why the girl ends the relationship. It isn’t melodramatic. It’s a simple reason. For some guys or gals, at that moment, we are not able to comprehend the reason but in hindsight, we can only assume that “it just wasn’t meant to be”.

If I had to give a grade on this movie, I would give it a solid “A”. It isn’t a masterpiece and will not win many awards but it is a movie that is honest. The actors are played very believably and the plot is something that anyone who has ever been in a relationship can relate to.