(Yes, this movie came out forever ago. No, we aren't seeing this for the first time. Once a week, a new addition to 100 Black Dolphins will write a throwback review to a movie that's already been out for a few years. If you see parenthesis scattered throughout the article, that's just me reinforcing or countering an idea or point. So now, I present you with our new writer and his review of an infuriatingly great movie called 500 Days of Summer)
1. Movies based off video games, because they usually suck
2. Horror movies, because you almost never see something new in them
3. And finally, romantic movies, because they give girls these crazy, unrealistic expectations of what a relationship should be like.
I thought 500 Days was going to fall straight into category three, but I was very, very wrong. This movie tells the story of Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who works at a place that comes up with the ideas for greeting cards. He meets a co-worker named Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel, whom he falls in love with. The only problem for our boy Tom here is that Summer has a weird, messed up logic where she doesn't believe in true love (like 99% of girls in the world amiright??). Before I get on to any more of the movie though, let's talk about the performances.
Joseph Gordon- Levitt: A+
This movie's two main strengths are its super original plot and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When I first saw JGL in this movie, I thought he was going to be like one of those guys that would tweet things like "all I really care about is making a girl happy" (be honest, you know guys like that who lost their masculinity during the internet age), but once again, I was wrong. He ends up absolutely stealing the show. Any guy that's ever struck out with a girl, been rejected, or been left for someone else can relate to this dude (basically every guy in the world). He perfectly portrays how a guy feels in a relationship, which is what made this movie so enjoyable to me. He really shows how fast you can go from loving all the small things in a girl to absolutely hating them once they've wronged you. He totally just kills it in this movie. He's a lot more like the average guy than you think, and that's what makes it so great.
Zooey Deschanel: A
Man, this woman used to annoy me SO MUCH. Like, her and Russell Brand used to be the only people I hated as much as Kristen Stewart (Russell Brand is still up there). But this movie is already full of surprises, so let's just throw another one in there. Zooey Deschanel is really, really good in this movie. Honestly she's borderline amazing for about 95% of the movie. The other 5% is what keeps me from giving her an A+. To me, she just acts too nice sometimes and there are moments where I can't buy that she's actually really bitter inside, which really sucks because it took me out of the movie at times. I can't complain about it too much though, because this will probably be the best we ever see of her.
Geoffrey Arend: B+
This guy plays a really cool wing man and a pretty sweet best friend to Tom. Sadly though, he isn't in the movie nowhere near as much as he should be. It's not his fault, but it sucks because he was awesome.
Matthew Gray Gubler: D
This guy just kinda pops in at some points in the movie and really doesn't add anything to it. He wasn't needed at all. DUMB. (I disagree with this!)
Chloe Grace Moretz: C
Yes, just about everyone's favorite part of Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl, is in this movie. Sadly, her character seemed like it was written by a middle-schooler. She plays like some 7th grader who just drops knowledge on JGL about girls when he shows up around her. All the things she says are really true, but I just can't buy it coming from a 12-year-old. Like Zooey Deschanel at times, she wasn't believable and it took me out of the movies at some points. The only thing that stops me from giving her a lower grade is that it is Chloe Grace Mortez, and she's an awesome actress and anyone else would have made this the most unwatchable character ever. (And she gets a C?? You all can see me Stan over Chloe Grace in the Carrie Review.)
The Narrator: A+
This dude's voice is pretty groovy.
Back to the movie now. The only things I have wrong with it are a couple of unrealistic character portrayals, it doesn't really go anywhere for like ten minutes in the middle of it, and there's a guy in there who's pretty pointless. The director, Marc Webb (he's currently directing The Amazing Spider-Man series), is a real champ though. He took a really original story and directed this movie in way that I've never seen anything like. Plus, it has a non-linear plot, which makes it even more awesome (that means it isn't told directly from beginning to end, guys). It's definitely worth a watch though, especially if you're a dude that has trouble with the ladies. Then again, that might just be me.
So in the end, when you add up an original story, really good performances (for the most part), and awesome directing, you get this off-the-wall romantic comedy that has some good drama sprinkled into it, and ends up being nothing short of a really fun movie.
Final Score: 4/5
