DVD

(500) Days of Summer

She loves me, she loves me not...

500 Days of Summer is an fresh-feeling rom-Com directed by Marc Webb and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

This post-modern love story will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions and follows Tom, a hopeless romantic that works as a greeting card copywriter. When heartbroken Tom is dumped by his girlfriend Summer, with whom he wanted to spend his life, he looks back over their 500 days together to tries to determine what went wrong.

The story goes backwards and forwards through their often stormy relationship, dissecting the structure of their romance and the reasons why people, cringingly, try so hard so hard to understand love and make happen.
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Directed by: Marc Webb

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler

Publisher: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment | Released: 18 January 2010 | Runtime: Unknown

List Price: £19.99, Our lowest price: £11.95

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Reviews

plumbvoicedfox@hotmail.co.uk, 10/02/2010

This film is brilliant, yes it's a rom-com but it's no typical rom-com as the narrator states at the start of the film "this is not a love story, it's a story about love", it's a much more realistic interpretation of love and real life. It still brings in the laughs as good as any other comedy and brilliantly alternates between its moments of hilarity and its moments of seriousness. This is for anyone who likes rom-coms even remotely as it's not what anyone would expect from an average rom-com.

David Colquhoun, 28/01/2010

Cutely pitched as "a story about love - not a love story", (500) Days of Summer is a breath of fresh air for anyone who likes their romantic comedies infused with hints of realism and touches caustic humour.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt a rough-hewn, unconventionally handsome lead actor really inhabits his character of Tom Hansen, while Zooey Deschanel, as Summer Finn, is magnetic, sexy and sincere. Deschanel's beauty intoxicates as she models a veritable plethora of beautiful dresses.

The film is shot cleanly and crisply and certain outdoor scenes in particular are the perfect advert for Los Angeles with its varied architecture and its nightlife. As the film shifts gears, at points focusing on Summer and Tom in happier times to instantly juxtapose this with darker days of their relationship we see that there is a level of depth here rarely seen in a romantic comedy. Marc Webb's careful and controlled direction is perfect, light and fluffy when required whilst also having the range to handle the darker side of proceedings.

The storyline is cerebral enough, and the comedy broad enough, to make sure that the film is never boring, or the narrative too thin, while it also makes sure that it never neglects to entertain. What's more, there's also enough depth here to ensure that the impact of the film doesn't evaporate on second viewing, indeed, this film can be enjoyed over and over.

Notably it steers clear of being judgemental or preaching to its audience and while it examines relationships at a deeper level than most romantic comedies it manages to remain funny and enjoyable.

Also, very pleasingly, the auxiliary characters are given enough layers of complexity to avoid the usual failing of romantic comedies of being inhabited by one-dimensional and unbelievable characters.

Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt manage to produce a chemistry between them that is palpable and they work hard to make their characters, and consequently the film as a whole, extremely charming and certainly worth your time.

Ross Sayers, 28/01/2010

There appears to be somewhat of a snobbiness in the world of film towards romance. It's an idea which appears in 95% of movies, but when it takes centre stage it somehow becomes less worthy. Romance? It should be in the background while the characters are dealing with the important stuff. We don't want our characters to express their feelings; as long as they know it we're fine. Look, his wife's in the background as he fights to stop the world being overrun by a plague of giant, brain-eating alien worms. Now that's love.

There has been a lot of talk regarding whether (500) Days of Summer is a rom-com or not. It's a comedy where romance features a great deal and could easily be dismissed as a generic, feel-good summer vehicle held together with musical montages. But it's not. It's probably the freshest, funniest and most honest romantic film you'll see in years. So, it's an uncommon rom-com? No, that's a stupid name to give it. Let's move on.

When greeting card writer Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is dumped by the girl he considers to be his soul mate, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), he looks back over the time they spent together trying to determine where they went wrong and if she was really right for him.

Gordon-Levitt is unbelievably likeable. His character is such a hopeless romantic we can't help but root for him, even when we know from the outset that things don't work out. Every high and low he experiences, the audience experiences, leaving us desperate for Summer to just give us one more chance. Deschanel plays the hot and cold Summer brilliantly. She is exactly the kind of girl all the guys want while she doesn't even acknowledge them. The chemistry between the two is clear to see even when Summer herself doesn't.

The music in the film is almost a character in itself, and don't be surprised if you find yourself searching for the soundtrack on iTunes as soon as the film ends. One all-singing, all-dancing scene springs to mind as a highlight of many.

Not your typical romantic comedy, (500) Days of Summer gives a truthful depiction of love and all that comes with it. Marc Webb's directorial debut oozes more charm and style throughout than most films can dream of, while never getting in the way of brilliant storytelling.