(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Director:

Marc Webb

Writers (WGA):

Scott Neustadter (written by) &
Michael H. Weber (written by)

Release Date:

2 September 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.

Plot:

An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her.

Plot Keywords:

Greeting Card | Spontaneous Choreography | Elevator | Part Animation | Engagement Ring

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Tom Hansen
Zooey Deschanel	...	Summer Finn
Geoffrey Arend	...	McKenzie
Chloe Moretz	...	Rachel Hansen
Matthew Gray Gubler	...	Paul
Clark Gregg	...	Vance
Patricia Belcher	...	Millie
Rachel Boston	...	Alison
Minka Kelly	...	Autumn - Girl at interview
Ian Reed Kesler	...	Douche
Darryl Alan Reed	...	Bus Driver
Valente Rodriguez	...	Employee #1
Yvette Nicole Brown	...	New Secretary
Nicole Vicius	...	Partygoer
Natalie Boren	...	Another Partygoer

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual material and language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Swedish

Color:

Color | Black and White (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45018) | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | Ireland:15A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Japan:PG12 | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Hong Kong:IIA | Norway:A | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Sweden:Btl | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sneak Preview Entertainment

Trivia:

One thing that both Tom and Summer have in common is their love for "Bananafish." This is undoubtedly a reference to one of J.D. Salinger's "Nine Stories" (the first of the nine being "A Perfect Day for Bananafish"). Actress Zooey Deschanel who portrays Summer is herself named after another story by J.D. Salinger, "Franny & Zooey".

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the karaoke scene after Summer sings Sugartown the instrumentals are looped, but her voice is cut right after she starts singing the second verse, so we can hear the word "and..." but then nothing.

Quotes:

Tom: Paul, seriously...
Paul: Did you bang her?
Tom: No!
Paul: Blow job?
Tom: No!
Paul: Hand job?
Tom: No, Paul, no jobs. I'm still unemployed. We just kissed.

Movie Connections:

References "Knight Rider" (1982)

Soundtrack:

SHE'S LIKE THE WIND

The Beautiful Days of Summer

Everyone loves summer. It's a time for friends, family, and fun. Ballgames, barbecues, amusement parks, and movies, summer is just a time to sit back, relax and enjoy. Enjoy time off, good weather and whatever else it might bring. Am I missing something? Oh yes, love. Summer is a time for love.

The film can be pretty much summed up in one of the first lines of the film. "This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story." But is it? 500 Days of Summer is not your typical romantic film. There's something to it, something more than your usual romantic comedy. Maybe it's the style it's done? Maybe it's the realistic nature? Maybe it's the wonderful music? Maybe its the beautiful cinematography? Maybe, its Tom and Summer...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are the leads, Tom and Summer. These are real everyday people. Tom, a believer in true love. Summer, a doubter. Which reminds me of one particular scene where Summer questions Tom about believing in love. Tom replies, "It's love, it's not Santa Claus." It is a real thing, a crazy little thing called love. Tom falls in love with Summer from the start. She doesn't. Tom is like every other guy, and every guy knows of a girl like Summer. The girl they want, but can't have. They try, to no avail. It's frustrating, and Tom is frustrated. He's happy then sad. He doesn't know what to think. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel have great chemistry together and give solid performances. You really believe their relationship and hardships. It makes you notice the little things in relationships. The film highlights two young stars on the rise. With some great performances lately for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, his stock is rising... dare I say an up and coming Heath Ledger?

The story is not in direct order as it goes back and forth from different days Tom remembers his life and relationship with Summer. When remembering, we may not remember every detail in order. We choose what we want to remember. May that be the good, or the bad. For Tom, it's a little bit of both. Big props to the editing department. The film shows the good and the bad of love, relationships, and life. There's something about it that sets it apart from the usual romantic comedy.

500 Days of Summer is really refreshing now a days. It's funny, unique, and true to life. It's got something for everybody to like. Director Marc Webb shines in his feature film debut. I'm interested to see where he goes from here. 500 Days of Summer has quickly become a late summer highlight for me and surprisingly so at that.