I think I'm in love with Summer

(500) Days of Summer

Few films really strike at my core. There are quite a few that I enjoy, like, and even love, but rarely do they stick with me personally. I think what really liked about this film is how realistic parts of it were to my life, even though I should probably have the exact opposite reaction for the exact same reasons. The felling Tom had that first morning on his way to work and certainly the expectations vs. reality scene drove reality home for me.

This isn't to say that this film is a masterpiece, it isn't. It's a fun comedy that tells a simple story (wait, scratch that, when is love "simple"?) and is certainly charming. This film is not a love story. It's a retrospective on their relationship over the last few hundred days, the highs and lows of it. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls in love with Summer (Zooey Deschanel), she doesn't. That's life. Most of us have been there.

Zooey Deschanel is amazing as ever, so incredibly cute that even the most frigid soul could only but warm to her charms. Joseph Gordon-Levitt wonderfully plays the poor sap, Tom, who is smitten the moment he sees Summer. They match up quite well on screen. As for some of the supporting cast, it's nice to see Geoffrey Arend (supporting character, McKenzie) in something other than his role as "Stoner #3" from Super Troopers (yes, the 'shrooms and snozberries guy) and it's nice to see that Ian Reed Kesler (minor character, Douche), the "Dude, that's so immature" guy from that Twix ad, really does play a douche well.

It's a film that has opened small, but appears to be going strong. I saw the film on a Sunday at 8:00 and the theater was about half full, which for a Sunday evening for a non-blockbuster is pretty darn good. *This* is the film to go to, and not tripe like "The Proposal" or "The Ugly Truth."

My one hope is that people see it, enjoy it, and remember it for years to come.

**** out of *****