Movie Review Rewind: (500) Days of Summer (2009)

Brandon Vick flips the calendar back to 2009 for a look at Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer on the latest Movie Review Rewind!

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(500) Days of Summer is a film with great, creative storytelling. Its tag line is “this is not a love story. This is a story about love.” Here’s the thing about that: it is absolutely true. It is how love goes in real life and how it affects relationships and the people in them.

The story is about Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who writes greeting cards, but wants so much more. He meets Summer (Zooey Deschanel), and things really begin to heat up. They start a friendship that turns into a relationship. However, Tom is caught off guard when Summer dumps him. The whole film is about Tom looking back on the 500 days he spent with her, and where and how it all went wrong or if it was just not meant to be.

Levitt and Deschanel are so good together onscreen. Their chemistry is undeniable even though Tom and Summer may not be meant for each other. These are two young actors who have a lot of promise. Levitt has already been in some good movies including Stop-Loss and The Lookout. I cannot forget his break-out role in Brick. Deschanel was in The Happening, but was also in the funny Yes Man with Jim Carrey. However, she has independent roots with being in Winter Passing, Eulogy, and upcoming Gigantic. Levitt and Deschanel are terrifically talented young actors and are dynamic together.

This is director Marc Webb‘s first film and what a debut for him. He turned what could have been a cheesy, predictable romantic comedy into a slice of reality that does not put love on a pedestal. It shows it for what it truly is, whether it’s good or bad. The film goes back and forth from past and present and in between the 500 days Tom spent with Summer. You are never lost, but perhaps even more captivated as the relationship changes like the seasons. There is even a voice over in the film that would sound ridiculous, but it’s not. Instead, it feels so relevant and right.

(500) Days of Summer is an original and unique rom-com. It’s full of creativity and mixes a lot of cool elements to tell its love story, making this one of the best movies I have seen this year.

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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