Movies on DVD, (500) Days of Summer

Now on DVD in Panama

(500) Days of Summer
a review by Marlene Alexander

(500) Days of Summer
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
Story by: Scott Neudstadter, Michael H. Weber
Director: Marc Webb
Producers: Mark Waters, Steven J. Wolfe, Mason Novick, Jessica Tuchinsky
Rated: PG - 13
Runtime: 95 minutes
2009

It isn't unusual for people to say that if you've seen one romantic comedy, you've seen them all --- which lately seems to be the case after the negative reviews that many of them got last year from popular magazines (something that this year's star studded Valentine's Day movie might change). Although not a box office flop, last year's The Ugly Truth failed to impress --- its draw was mainly its two standout actors --- both Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. The plot was perhaps its weak point, but some people also complained about the performances.

In 2009, we also had Bride Wars --- although a personal favorite, it failed to impress both critics and most of its target audience (interestingly enough, like The Ugly Truth, its stellar cast --- including Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson --- managed to make it a hit). That is why when (500) Days of Summer came onto the scene, it wowed both the critics and its surprised, endeared audience --- making it one of the largest box office hits of the year and also managing to snag a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture Musical or Comedy. It was a breath of fresh summery air in a genre that needed some urgent reawakening and re-imagining --- something that this movie did incredibly well without the usual formulae popular in the genre. Sure, it is a love story, and sure, the beginning kind of foreshadows the ending, but it isn't the story you expect to see and hear.

What makes (500) Days of Summer so unique and intriguing is its storyline --- you have a story that captures you from the very beginning by the way it unfolds --- jumping from one day to the other (not chronologically) in the 500 days of the relationship between the two main protagonists played by Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

It isn't your typical romantic comedy; instead, it is a very real, very moving, very heartbreaking tale because it is more real to most people than most romantic movies in the way the story strikes closer to home. Romantic comedies are the escapist's greatest dream (we all love them), but this movie is more of a story you'd hear from a friend as opposed to a narrative you'd expect to have in a movie --- that is the magic of this movie: its unabashed relatability.

You have Zooey Deschanel playing the title character, Summer --- a commitment-phobic, witty, free spirited girl who captures the heart of a romantic, commitment-loving greeting card writer played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His performance --- so nuanced and touching --- garnered him a Golden Globe nomination. Although he's not new in the acting scene, (his credits include the movie 10 Things I hate About You), this is perhaps the performance (or one of his performances) of a lifetime --- so flawless that sometimes you forget he's acting.

Peppered with stunning visuals and a lovely soundtrack filled with indie music that doesn't compete but instead complements the movie's both humorous and dramatic moments, (500) Days of Summer is such a wonderful movie that when you finish watching it you are already wondering when you should see it again.

(500) Days of Summer can be found for sale at your local Panafoto store.

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