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I was cautiously looking forward to 500 Days of Summer because there were a lot of rave reviews floating around the internet when it first came out. Being a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, I let myself believe those reviews and went to see the movie. The movie is basically a non-chronological storytelling of a relationship from the guy's point of view. Since it's from his perspective, the segments being told show how he experiences the moments as they happen, which is why there's a scene in which he breaks out into song after getting laid. No joke.

I liked certain aspects of the storytelling concepts, particularly when the guy, Tom, revisits his memories. As he does so, he remembers more details of the moment, now that he's not giddy with love, and can see how he was skewing his own reality. While he was experiencing his relationship one way, the girl, Summer, was experiencing something completely different, and it takes time for him to realize those differences. This realization occurs in the final act of the film, and that final act is what redeemed it for me. It just wasn't gelling with me for a while, for a variety of reasons.

While many people praised 500 Days of Summer for its creativity, I almost felt as if it carried a laundry list of "cool" that needed to be checked off as the movie progressed. After all, this movie is about two hip twenty-somethings, so we'd better make sure they like to go to Ikea, make a reference to Belle and Sebastien, and clothe our protagonist in all of the iconic music shirts that can be bought at Hot Topic. I mean, I love Belle and Sebastien and The Smiths too, but if I made a movie, I might include them in the soundtrack instead of featuring them as supporting actors.

Since I am a fan of the potential that is (not always realized in) Zooey Deschanel, I was so irritated that the movie made me dislike her! What kind of cruel insanity is that? I don't know if she was supposed to come across as amazing (as Tom thinks she is), but to me, she was just one of those girls who teases guys and then tells them she doesn't want to make a commitment, and I didn't think the movie really portrayed what made her so attractive (besides her looks) to Tom. And, as a fan of Godon-Levitt, it was frustrating to see him in a role, acting out certain emotions that just didn't ring genuine. These were probably more of a script problem than an acting problem. For instance, in his despair, he throws plates and breaks them. Do people actually do this? What about the guys that always sweep away the contents of a bookshelf or desk onto the floor? By the way, that would be a great movie montage.

But, with all of my complaints (the unfunny Geoffrey Arend being another one that I haven't even gotten into), there was something in this movie, and I think that had to do with the final act, when the movie showed that it was about Tom the entire time. I did feel for him, and Levitt proved he is capable of breaking into the scene as a mainstream actor, although I hope that he will still continue to seek out interesting movies. His performance, along with some pleasant-to-look-at costume and set choices, made the movie worthwhile to me. I felt okay with it when it was over, but can't help but look at it with a moderate amount of disappointment.