AfroPixFlix:

Before seeing this, I got into an unwinnable debate with my adolescent niece over whether this qualified as a chick flick. My hypothesis was that there was nothing about it that would appeal to anyone out of my niece's female, 14-to-24 age group set. She begged to differ. So, as a scientifically acceptable control element, we dragged along her brother, a 14 year old male more inclined to check out the latest TRANSFORMERS flick. After seeing it, we all wound up agreeing that there are elements that can appeal to just about anyone. It is a relationship movie about a guy who falls in love with a woman who tells him from the start she was not looking for anything more than friendship. She is a romantically liberated female who has some magical attraction about her. The films THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT both came to mind, particularly the latter Spike Lee joint's creative camera work. We liked the way the film was not told chronologically, and I thought of the film MEMENTO and its scattered storyline. Anyway, between my furtive cat naps, I thought it was a good way to jumpstart a discussion of some transcendental issues, such as the importance of faithfulness, being aware of the wonderful people around you who you just may be taking for granted, and that perennial yarn of following your dreams. Great music. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon with your younger ones, although there's a heck of a lot of blue language and, ahem, "adult situations" you might have to redirect as a post-scientific study discussion.

Southern Belle 1:

4.5 stars.(500 DAYS OF SUMMER) might be one of the best films I have seen that depicts life as life usually is - unpredictable. This witty, romantic comedy is beautifully controlled by Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Tom. He plays the character Tom to perfection, mixing Tom's insecurities, self-consciousness, hopefulness, disappointments, and realizations in a tangible way. Zooey Deschanel is also well cast as Tom's girlfriend, Summer. This couple and their story are nicely supported by some great vintage musical numbers, original and creative (although quirky) screen techniques, a real true-to-life story, and a great supporting cast. Don't expect the expected, but do expect to fall in love with everyday guy, Tom, and perhaps even Summer. This is a sweet story that doesn't unrealistically overstate the feelings of romance and love. 01-17-10

WideStance:

Though it's a lot more enjoyable than most crappy Hollywood romantic comedies, it's got lots of problems and isn't quite as good as it's being hyped up to be. I enjoyed Joseph Gordon-Levitt's solid performance as a lovestruck young hipster but found Zooey Deschanel as his would-be girlfriend Summer just cloying and ingratiating beyond belief. Her bangy mid-70s Linda Ronstadt look and squeaky Victoria Jackson voice only go so far and, after about 45 minutes of her aloof antics, I wondered why Levitt's character didn't call it quits after the first 100 or so days of Summer. Despite some great stuff like an instant-classic song and dance number to an awful old Hall and Oates song and a clever "expectation versus reality" split screen of events at a party, there's a lot that just doesn't work. All the Smiths references wore me out. Namechecking a band once or twice seems like good insight into the characters, but after a few dozen times it smacks of a hack screenwriter. Levitt's Apatowesque buddies, his life-coaching kid sister, some cringe-worthy schtick at an Ikea, and a let's pretend we have tourette's syndrome game that would have been better as a dvd 'deleted scene' extra also bugged me.

Walt D in LV:

Excellent! Fun and different, it's not often little movies live up to the hype when mainstream America finds out about 'em. This one did. Funny from the opening credits. Like many stories about love, it's sweet and painful throughout. Joseph Gordon-Levitt seems to always be in these great independent films. How does he do it?! and Zooey Deschanel.. so cute and loveable. A quirky romantic comedy well worth seeing. 8/16/09

Jeremy Thomas:

The best romantic comedy of 2009 is not in fact a romantic comedy. Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter wrote a fantastic script that moves in a nonlinear format, jumping back and forth between days of the relationship between a romantic and his more cynical girlfriend. As the days shift forward and back like a dial, watching the saga unfold one feels somewhat like Cassandra, knowing what's going to happen but powerless to stop it. What makes the format work are the wonderful performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, who have a brilliant chemistry between them, and the solid direction on behalf of Mark Webb. Webb stages a musical number with pitch-perfect timing to draw delighted laughs from the audience and includes several other stylistic flairs that never get in the way of the story. Like a series of memories, this film is nostalgic and fun, heart-warming and bittersweet and not only the best romance film of the year, but one of the best films of 2009 period.

Robowriter:

(500) Days of Summer is an absolutely sweet, quirky indie-style romantic comedy with lots of great laughs. I sat in an opening-weekend arthouse audience that peeled with laughter frequently. The story's premise might be called The Time Traveler's Girlfriend With Benefits because the narrative ricochets wildly across 500 days that encompass the quizzical romantic relationship between Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). If you think a normal linear relationship has its ups and downs then try one examined through a timeline that zigs and zags back and forth in its exposition by one day to handfuls or dozens of days at a time. (No actual time travel is involved.) It's all good though and quite captivating. Zooey plays the same character that seems to be her stock in trade: the quirky, laissez-faire slacker girl who's too cute to ignore. She's so laidback you'd think she's medicated -- so it should come as no surprise to Tom that she's an I-can-take-you- or-leave-you kinda gal. He, on the other hand, has these bleary puppy-dog eyes that can show an impressive range of emotion. Frankly, it's not too clear to me whether he's interested in her because she's actually worth it or he just doesn't have other prospects. (I think she might be "worth it" but then he's no player. I'm just saying: Doesn't finding a keeper presume there were other choices?) Love doesn't need logic, of course -- in fact, sometimes it just kicks it to the curb and goes woo-hoo (or wants to) -- so this tale of Summer love makes a great postmodern (if one-sided) love story for the summer season (or any time of the year). Great soundtrack! 4.5 stars. (8-20-09)

Frank W:

Gimmicky storytelling methods aside, there are plenty of other things in the film that work to near perfection. Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel worked previously in the indie drama Manic, but here their on-screen chemistry jumps off the screen and into our laps. From the moment Tom lays eyes on Summer in the cubicled office of the greeting card company where they both work, we know we're witnessing that ever-elusive magic that so many on-screen couples hope to channel, but so few do. And most importantly, the actors are successful in making us want their characters to be together.

ThaAnswerMD25:

Definitely a love story this generation can relate too. From the beginning and throughout their relationship it all feels familiar. I think everyone has either been in that situation or known a girl like Summer. Zooey (and the movie) are truly charming throughout most. Towards the end it falters a bit, but the last 3 minutes sealed it for me. Perfect ending to this movie!

mabell3368:

A delightful romantic comedy that diverges from the standard formula. Zooey Deschanel sparkles as the eponymous Summer, who has commitment issues. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is all grown up as Thomas, who believes he has found the woman of his dreams. Unfortunately, his Expectations run aground in the sea of Reality. The director, Marc Webb uses the well-worn non-linear sequence of events to tell the tale, and it works here. The dialog crackles and the laughs come thick and fast. The interactions between Thomas and his co-workers and with his friend, Paul, is hilarious. Another bright spot, although stretching credibility, was the wisdom of his younger sister, providing relationship advice. This viewer thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and would gladly watch it again.

ivq 831971:

Its a bit unfair to call this a romantic comedy. There are certain conventions that basically all romantic comedies adhere to and this movie deviates quite a bit from those (which is good.) But it is romantic and it is a comedy, so whatever. And it plays both of those angles very well. Its genuinely charming and laugh out loud funny at times. The depiction of the relationship is intriguing and sincere, and I really liked that. My one big complaint is with the characters. Shes free-spirited and cute; he wears a hoodie and listens to the Smiths. These are fine foundations, but the film really could have done a lot more to make them unique and interesting. The quirky/nerdy/20-something is just too common an archetype these days to make for interesting characters without some other defining qualities. Summer and Tom seemed like spokespeople for Stuff White People Like. Deviating even a little from that mold would have gone a long way in making them deeper and more interesting. Despite the somewhat generic characters this movie is enjoyable and definitely worth checking out. Especially if youre a quirky, nerdy 20-something that likes the Smiths.

Supercords:

Cute, witty, with an utterly adorable Zoey Daschanel. Didn?t quite live up to all the praise that?s been lavished upon it, but enjoyable nonetheless. Rating: C+

TK 1202117:

The movie was terrific, but the DVD (with the exception of trailers)had none of the extras advertised. Did I miss something?

i3oone:

A great "dramady" that is very unique in it's day and age. A movie that truly deserves the critics' praise.

Max Hops:

Very good anti romantic comedy. Summer treats Joe like a the Schlep that he is and Joe thinks he found his true love. Love is blind and Joe doesn't see what's happening until it's too late. It's great when he starts thinking back to all the little clues that he "overlooked" during the early part of their relationship for fear of seeing the truth.

ybemad:

I really liked this movie. I would watch it over and over again. In the beginning the narrator tells you this isn't your typical love story with a happy ending. Yet it isn't a cynical movie out to rob you of hope. It's a funny chronicling of how the need for love can blind someone to reality showing the highs and lows experienced during the course of a relationship in a very relatable way.

TJ229ER:

(500) Days of Summer is a great departure from the traditional romantic comedy. The movie has a quite a few great artistic scenes that are simply beautiful to watch. Joesph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel both flawlessly play their characters and are entirely convincing. (500) Days also has a great soundtrack.

psp 1933410:

This was an enjoyable, off-beat comedy. My wife and I both enjoy Zooey, but thought that Gigantic was a very similar, yet better movie. 500 Days also makes too much use of time-shifting, a trend that has exhausted itself as of late.

DrakeScott:

The rare date movie about an essentially one-sided relationship that probably *won't* work, (500) DAYS OF SUMMER remains cohesive despite a nonlinear storyline and unnecessary - if only occasional - narration. Dewy-eyed romantics and those looking for big laughs may find this film lacking, but decent performances by Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt keep things tumultuously laboring toward a conclusion desperate to combat the random hopelessness of love.

simplygreg:

Finally a love story for the rest of us, with its mess and pain and hope and uncertainty. The filmmaker cuts the heartbreak with a beautiful whimsy that is fun and necessary. This is the anti-romantic comedy. Nothing is cleanly cut, or understood. There are no soaring french horns and violins in the 3rd act. There are The Smiths and Hall & Oates, and any film that combines that delightful musical vinaigrette deserves some attention.

BlueVoid:

'500 Days of Summer' is a romantic comedy which breaks many of the normal conventions and delivers a more touching and funny film than most of the drivel that gets pumped out by studios these days. Right from the beginning, from the first scene, you know that this isn't going to be the standard fare. In many ways this is the anti-romantic comedy. It begins with the breakup and with a genius collection of mixed ordered scenes tells the story of the relationship leading up to that point. This is the films strength. Individual scenes are absolutely perfect and capture the essence of different phases in a relationship perfectly. The directing by Marc Webb is fantastic, putting a unique spin on each scene, elevating them from what could have been very average filler. Also propelling potentially average scenes is the acting by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. Both of whom have been great in other movies, but really click together here creating a natural feeling chemistry. There are some cliched elements to the story which seemed even more glaring since the rest of the film felt so original. The know-it-all sister, the oddball friend, his job as a greeting card writer and his aspirations of being an architect all seemed to be completely generic, but because the rest works so well that these elements didn't bring it down. It manages to be completely honest and brutally frank, without creating a depressing feeling and succeeds at breaking out of a genre box to be fresh and endearing.

raghus:

A fairly watchable movie but when all was said and done, it wasn't all that memorable. Zooey Deschanel plays her role really well and is definitely the best part of this movie.

fewstingscorpio:

I would really give this a 3 1/2. I wasn't pulled in as I like to have been. I didn't find Tom's (Joseph Gorden-Levitt)love interest that interesting. Sumner(Zooey Deschanel), irritated me. I found her performance flat. The movie did have a unique feel, that made it fun. The soundtrack was great.

Jared W.:

One of my favorite movies of 2009. A wonderful romantic comedy that breaks down the barriers of the typical "boy meets girl and happily ever after" cliche. A great acting and a great script make this a highly entertaining flick.

willschiff:

On the reels, ?500 Days of Summer? is one of those films whose potency only increases the more you think about it. This film exposes its incredible heart to audiences everywhere, revealing the astounding truths regarding the passionately debated origins and realities of love itself. Marc Webb?s directorial ability is excellently showcased in his debut film, leaving me eager to visit his next project as soon as possible. However, I?m perfectly content with only having ?500 Days of Summer? for now as it cements itself as one of my favorite films of the year and one of the most innovative takes on life and love in recent memory.