500 Days of Summer

5 out of 5

Finally! A smart, original, sweet romantic comedy without the high concept, far fetched quality. 500 Days of Summer is predictable in parts and extremely unpredictable and refreshing in others. In the predictable parts, the characters were written so well and the actors who played them were so lovable that I didn't care.

The tagline for the movie is: "Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't." How this simple concept unfolds is what makes this movie special. It has the creativity of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind without the high concept, which is harder to do! I do not want to tell too much about the creative storytelling that the writers and directors accomplish beautifully. That would spoil the pure joy of those moments. Just be ready to deeply relate to the characters, especially Tom, and laugh/cry with a real understanding of how the characters feel.

I find Zooey Deschanel a pleasure to watch. From gems like Mumford, to mainstream rom. coms. like Failure to Launch, Deschanel has a unique voice, attitude and style. She plays Summer to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Tom. Gordon-Levitt is definitely the lead in this movie, and he has an unmistakable charisma and charm. I love his smile and dimples. He looks tortured one moment and elated the next. It is amazing the emotions that his face conveys! The range he showed in this movie is very impressive. Not to give anything away, but he tackled MANY different genres in this movie. Once you see it, you will understand what I mean.

Again, I do not want to tell too much about the movie. Just go see it! Movies like this renew my faith and belief that storytelling is not a dead art!