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Movies / Upcoming / 500 Days of Summer
500 Days of Summer

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500 Days of Summer (2009)

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Reviews Counted:195

Fresh:169

Rotten:26

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: A clever, offbeat romantic comedy, 500 Days of Summer is refreshingly honest and utterly charming.

Australian Rating: M [See Full Rating] Infrequent coarse language

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Comedies

Australian Theatrical Release:
Oct 1, 2009 Wide

US Box Office: $32,118,648

Synopsis: Fans of HIGH FIDELITY and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND will be charmed by this quirky film that sheds a linear plot in favor of a memory-driven look at a failed romance. Joseph... Fans of HIGH FIDELITY and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND will be charmed by this quirky film that sheds a linear plot in favor of a memory-driven look at a failed romance. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (BRICK) stars as Tom, a greeting-card writer who dreams of becoming an architect and finding his true love. Zooey Deschanel (THE HAPPENING) plays Summer, a vintage-looking beauty whose ideas about love are entirely modern. As Tom remembers his 500 days with Summer, his mind jumps from moment to moment, largely thinking of the good times in their trouble-filled relationship. Indie darlings Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt are perfectly cast in this sweet, funny film that infuses the typical romantic tropes with reality. Anyone else would have caused audiences to hate Summer, but Deschanel is adorable enough that she still endears herself to viewers. Arthouse favorite Gordon-Levitt hasn’t played a traditional romantic lead since 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU in 1999, but here he proves equally adept at portraying Tom’s sweetness and his neuroses. Music-video director Marc Webb makes his feature debut with (500) DAYS OF SUMMER, and it’s easy to see influences of his past work. The soundtrack boasts songs from Regina Spektor, Doves, Feist, Wolfmother, and, of course, The Smiths, the band that brings the couple together. Webb also adds an innovative style to the dramedy, combining a naturalistic look at love with a non-linear plot, animated vignettes, and a triumphant musical sequence. The film’s mixture of cynicism and romance makes it perfect viewing for happy couples, the recently dumped, and the hopeful singles in the audience. [More]

Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly

Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Matthew Gray Gubler, Rachel Boston, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz

Director: Marc Webb

Director: Marc Webb
Screenwriter: Scott Neustadter, Michael Weber
Producer: Mark Waters, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mason Novick, Steven J. Wolfe
Composer: Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for 500 Days of Summer

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Despite the tricky punctuation, (500) Days of Summer might be the most truthful rom-com about the sort of people you're likely to know; not inhabitants of some movie version of Fairyland.

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
09/16/09
Des Partridge
Des Partridge
Courier Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A true re-invention of the romantic comedy genre for a male skewed audience, complete with realistic lead characters and hilarious insight.

Full Review Source: FILMINK (Australia) | comment Comment
09/15/09
Colin Fraser
Colin Fraser
FILMINK (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Heartbreak is rarely enjoyable, but in this case, it's very easy company -- as are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment Comment
09/13/09
Rod Yates
Rod Yates
Empire Magazine Australasia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Charm effuses from this quirky love story in which fate, coincidence, dreams, expectations and reality are chaotically intertwined.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment 1 Comment
09/07/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It offers us the kind of friendship that comes with a brilliant soundtrack, a story with a solid mixture of fantasy and truth, and the bolstering sort of hopefulness that we might, by accident, fall into a version of its world someday.

Full Review Source: Time Out Sydney | comment Comment
06/19/09
Millie Stein
Millie Stein
Time Out Sydney
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film's bruised yet clear-eyed romanticism is refreshing to find in a genre that often settles for something less than truthful or passionate.

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
01/31/10
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

... it does a nice job of charting the rise and fall of a relationship with heart, soul and a recognition that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

Full Review Source: Seanax.com | comment Comment
01/10/10
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com

We have been trained by Hollywood to react a certain way to a certain kind of movie and 500 Days of Summer seeks to un-train us through shock therapy.

Full Review Source: Bangitout.com | comment Comment
01/06/10
Jordan Hiller
Jordan Hiller
Bangitout.com

Abound conventions and the occasional nugget of overwrought wit threaten, but fail, to cripple the leads' revelatory sincerity.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
01/04/10
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

Una irresistible comedia romántica que desafía algunas convenciones del género, gracias a un tratamiento fresco y original, una deliciosa banda sonora y dos protagonistas perfectos.

Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
01/01/10
Enrique Buchichio
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total

The two leads are as quirky and likable as the movie itself.

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
12/24/09
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

full review at Movies for the Masses

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
12/10/09
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

A kind of Woody Allen comedy but without the jokes. Lots of cultural signifiers to make ivy league couples on a date feel at home, but totally lacking in substance.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment 1 Comment
12/07/09
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A near perfect genre defying representation of relationships, infatuation, and getting over the first real love of your life...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
12/07/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

The film revels in the hip witticisms that swim mostly inside a writer's head but never come forth in the real world with the timing and execution seen here.

Full Review Source: Cinemalogue.com | comment Comment
12/06/09
Rubin Safaya
Rubin Safaya
Cinemalogue.com

At last, here's a movie that takes the wimpy, tortured, hopelessly-in-love boys from the other movies and tells them to grow up.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
11/24/09
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

This is a story that most people can probably relate to, unless you are one of those lucky people never to have been on the losing end of the game of love.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment 1 Comment
10/29/09
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Le tout est exécuté avec un tel enthousiasme que nous ne pouvons que nous laisser emporter par cette vague on ne peut plus rafraîchissante, et surtout profondément désarmante.

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
10/12/09
Jean-François Vandeuren
Jean-François Vandeuren
Panorama

a nicely played but all-too-preciously eccentric romance

Full Review Source: Cinema Writer | comment Comment
09/20/09
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer

500 Days of Summer never quite convinces, despite the charm of the leads. This is wannabe indie, and these two Hollywood names are too 'big' to play beautiful nobodies navigating a heart-wrenching misunderstanding.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment 6 Comments
09/17/09
Jason Di Rosso
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Latest News for 500 Days of Summer

December 02, 2009: Awards Tour: Independent Film Spirit Noms Here!
The most prestigious awards ceremony for independent films has just been announced! Did your favorite movie that you probably didn't watch make it? More...

September 16, 2009: Total Recall: Offbeat Romantic Comedies
This week's (500) Days of Summer isn't the first film to mess with our rom-com expectations. So, to mark its release, we've gathered together what we think are 10 of the most... More...

August 03, 2009: New Jesus Christ Superstar On the Horizon? Opens in new window
According to the Risky Biz Blog's sources, Universal is "in active development" on a "Jesus Christ Superstar" remake -- with "(500) Days of Summer" director Marc Webb at the helm. More...

July 16, 2009: Critics Consensus: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is Certified Fresh
This week at the movies marks the return of the young wizards of Hogwarts with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. How does the... More...

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