Critic’s Pick: (500) Days of Summer

(500) Days of Summer is an adorable story of boy-meets-girl with a unique twist. “This is not a love story,” says the narrator, and even though this movie isn’t your clichéd chick flick, it’s funny, romantic and definitely worthwhile.

Cutie Joseph Gordon-Levitt and charming Zooey Deschanel star as Tom and Summer in this sweet summer film: Tom meets Summer. Tom falls in love with Summer. The two have very different notions of what love is and, from the beginning, it’s very clear that it won’t be a happy ending for the two. Attitudes clash and the story, told entirely from Tom’s point of view, will leave you loving his endearing character and wondering how exactly the plot will be resolved.

My friends and I got the chance to see an advanced screening of the film and, among our group, were four girls and two guys. The girls loved the retro fashion (Summer’s wide-legged pants, ruffled tops and vintage frocks) and soundtrack (mellow tunes from Regina Spektor, The Smiths and The Temper Trap to name a few). And the boys praised the cinematography (really interesting if you pay attention to the colors and angles) and characters (each color the plot with witty dialogue).
Photo Credit: Chuck Zlotnick/FOX Searchlight
The “Summer effect” takes Tom’s life by storm. And every day is a bright, sunny day. Tom skips to work and dances in the park. It’s cute. It’s comical. The audience falls more in love with him. He works as a greeting card writer, but secretly wishes he was an architect, as he spends the entire movie creating impressive sketches--you’ll be amazed as you watch his talent grow as he learns his lesson about the difference between expectations and reality.

Tom and Summer’s relationship is enchanting (they make every girl in the audience wish she were on a date with a cutie at IKEA, pretending to cook in the display kitchen and watch TV in the mock family room). And the flick is even better than your typical romantic comedy, bound to make you laugh, smile and, most importantly, think.

(500) Days of Summer is now in limited theaters nationwide. Be sure to check out the flick and let us know your thoughts.

--Miliana Budimirovic

POSTED IN

7/18/2009 7:00:00 AM
share