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Amazon.co.uk Review
500 Days of Summer is like the American Apparel of movies, in that tries really hard to be hip--so hard it sometimes evokes an involuntary cringe. The perfect soundtrack (indie-pop infused with cleverly ironic 80’s hits), the smart cinematography, the occasionally broken fourth wall… It’s a natural progression from mid-00’s “youth-culture” flicks like Garden State and it does a good job rounding out the decade. Everything in this dramedy resembles a music video and the characters are twentysomethings once again not living up to their full potential. 500 Days of Summer is touted as being really unique and original--it’s not. But that’s not to say that it’s not worth watching; it is, and mostly because of the leads. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel play a couple whose relationship story is told through a series of out-of-order flashbacks. The non-linear storytelling means we hop moment to moment from sweet, romantic and fun to crushingly desperate and sad, because the ultimate point here is that even when we believe we may have found The One, said soulmate might not feel the same way. Gordon-Levitt is an exciting actor to watch and after a succession of very serious, very troubled roles, it’s a pleasure to see him here as a mostly well-adjusted young guy whose biggest problem is that he loves someone who doesn’t love him back. He’s the hero, and as such, Deschanel’s Summer Finn becomes the bad guy a little bit. But Deschanel plays it all big-eyed, conflicted and real and so you can’t help but forgive her. The much-lauded musical scene is tremendously joyful; if it doesn’t put a smile on your face, nothing will. 500 Days of Summer isn’t groundbreaking, but it's an entertaining movie about hip, beautiful people whose lives you can only enjoy for about two hours before getting back to your own.--Kira Canny, Amazon.com
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53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Boy meets girl...and the rule book gets torn up.,
This review is from: (500) Days of Summer [DVD] (DVD)
Before seeing this, I had already pigeon-holed this as the typical rom-com concept that's been flogged to death of late. Salvation I thought, may come in it's indie-like feel having seen a trailer. After going to 'keep the peace' with my girlfriend, I've come away very pleasently surprised.
The basic plotline of 'boy meets girl' may start the film, but a short way into it's running time, it's apparent this is going somewhere different. The film's structure is all over the place chronologically. It's timeline moves back and forth with fevered intensity, but works all the better for it(Helpfully, for those not paying attention, each of the 500 days in question is numbered onscreen). Refreshingly, much of the standard material normally seen in this sort of fare is missing. Both leads are hugely appealing and likable, displaying believable chemistry together when scenes call for it. The director, and the two screenwriters are male, which I found lent the Joseph Gordon Levitt's Tom the more sympathetic edge. Zooey Deschanel's title character Summer however, comes across as a representation of every woman man has failed to truely understand. Anyone who is a fan of author Mike Gayle, will find similarities of his work here. For a film such as it is, the overall tone is decidedly pro male and ever so slightly dark, but don't let that put you ladies off. There are some nice moments of light comedy, and the 'morning after' scene is superb. Another, demonstrating a key moment with both 'expectation' and 'reality' using a splitscreen is particularly poignant. And somewhere buried in the material, yes, there is ultimately romance as well. The soundtrack is excellent and subtley used, making a marked change from the likes of One Republic being blasted out. I saw this in a screen packed with about 80% women, most of which seemed to to leave smiling, having enjoyed it immensely. Despite my initial protestations, I'm not ashamed to say it had the same affect on me.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wise, funny and enchanting romantic comedy for grown-ups,
By
This review is from: (500) Days of Summer [DVD] (DVD)
I loved this film. About 30 minutes after I had finished watching it, I realised just why. The whole thing ends up with a man and a woman having a heavy conversation on a bench in a park. That's happened to me three times, so the bitter sweet nature of this film was a real tonic. It manages to be realistic, and at the same time heartwarming.
I love the sophisticated wit, the super soundtrack and the sublime, vulnerable beauty of the leading lady. It occasionally uses a few hackneyed devices like the co-worker and the very young sister, but overall it surprised me with its depth and subversive take on the rom com genre.
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The tagline is true,
By seun (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: (500) Days of Summer [DVD] (DVD)
This is not a love story. This is a story about love.
Exactly right. Forget your Hugh Grants, your comic misunderstandings, boy meets girl, loses her, gets her back with the help of some wacky friends (usually gay) while living in an extremely white version of London or painfully cool New York type of romcom. 500 Days...is a true and funny (not to mention sometimes uncomfortable) look at relationships and their difficulties. It has to be said, this is much more from the man's POV than usual romcoms. As such, Summer doesn't come off as 100% likeable but then why should she? She's a well drawn character, not something out of a Richard Curtis film. In any case, I'd recommend this to blokes if they want to laugh at themselves, and recommend it to women who want a better understanding of their men. Put it this way: I laughed more than my wife did. And my favourite film is Night of the Living Dead.
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