Flicks-a-saurus Rex

500 Days of Summer

Director – Marc Webb

Starring – Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel

MPAA – Rated PG-13 for sexual material and language.

A film spiced with witty humor, flavored with fun and interesting actors, and frosted with a unique indie soundtrack, 500 Days of Summer is a flavorful alternative to the shoddy array of romantic comedy genre trash littering the shelves of video stores today. This film is done in the style of “Away We Go”, another witty film that does not mold to the contemporary romances pumping out of the film factory these days. It also reminds me of hits such as “Juno” and “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” All of these films had the feel of an independent movie, a little more laid back, better scripts, and sharp humor based on dialogue as opposed to over the top situational farce.

I was reminded of the sharp wit displayed in Oscar Wilde’s masterpieces as I watched this brilliant little film. This is one of those rare gems of its genre that sparkles a little bit and is different. It is a more mature comedy, a little like “Its Complicated”; I enjoy films about adult relationships, and I love movie where the ending is so different from the average films. Others were disappointed by the films choice but I will tell you now the beginning of the movie tell your right up front that this is not a love story.



Joseph Gordon-Levitt earns his Golden Globe nomination as the love sick Tom Hansen. He has grown up a lot since “Angels in the Outfield” and it is fun to see that his comedic timing has been sharpened to a point. Zooey Deschanel is hilarious as well as Summer, the girl of Tom’s dreams. She has a vicious sense of satirical comedy that makes her so much fun to watch. Her performance was fantastic and she should have scored a nomination as well. Summer does not believe in true love, un-like Tom, and so as the two of them embark on a “casual relationship” we see how much chemistry they really do have.



Tom’s friends make for colorful side characters, which always makes a movie more interesting. The best though is how Tom always turns to his nine-year-old sister (Chloe Moretz) for romantic guidance. She is the go to girl and has some of the best lines in the movie. I guess she is in the new movie “Kick-Ass” and she is supposed to be pretty funny there too, it seems she is going to be an actress to be reckoned with.



Over all 500 Days of Summer is a first class movie. It easily gets a 9 out of 10 in my book. I loved the smart dialogue and the fun characters. The film has enough twists to keep you guessing, and it uses flashbacks a lot to make an interestingly developed plot. I highly recommend this film for those seeking a reprise from the below average romances forced upon film-goers.



Sex/Nudity – 6 out of 10 – We see a woman (presumably naked) from the back lying in bed waiting for a man to come out of the bathroom. It is assumed they have sex. A man and a woman rent and watch an adult video. We see a shower with an opaque curtain. We hear a couple attempting to have sex in the shower, we see a hand grab the curtain and accidently pull it down on top of them. We see a zoomed in picture of a man crotch and see his bulge. A man and a woman kiss passionately.

Violence/Gore – 2 out of 10 – A man punches another man and is hit back, we see him later with an ice pack. No real bruising or blood.

Profanity – 5 out of 10 – Kids-in-mind says there are “3 F-words and its derivatives.” I think there was one “F” word, some sexual dialogue, a few religious exclamations, and some other obscenities.