(500) Days of Summer - A Review by Nevermore

(500) Days of Summer is a very interesting study - at a casual glance, you might suspect just another romantic comedy, but that's really not the case. Once you start watching, you're confronted with something very different and special. The first thing you'll likely realize is that the story is told entirely out of sequence, with colorful animated bits showing which out of the 500 days you're currently watching. The second thing you'll notice is that, as the narrator (Richard McGonagle [JAG]) points out very early on is that this is a story of boy meets girl... however, it's not a love story.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) plays Tom, a man who works at a greeting card company who falls for a recent hire: Summer (Zooey Deschanel [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]). The story is of his pursuit of her, and their quirky and tumultuous relationship that follows. The acting is quite excellent throughout - Tom is an extremely likeable character and very, very easy to relate to for the undying romantics out there, and is played wonderfully by Gordon-Levitt. Summer, on the other hand, is the epitome of what is called the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" on TV Tropes. She's cute, fun, and extremely interesting - but prone to being very moody and detached, the perfect girl, but entirely impossible to catch and tie down to anything. Deschanel is positively charming in the role, as she often is, and even gets a chance or two to show off her lovely singing talents.

Marc Webb also shines in the way he shoots the wonderfully penned script, jumping between different film styles, seemingly as the mood suits such. I won't say much here, as these jumps are rather unpredictable and fun when they occur. Don't go into this movie expecting your standard romantic comedy, though - expect something more along the lines of High Fidelity, more of a funny analysis of romantic relationships and how amusing elements of what's expected in relationships can be at times.