In a summer filled with intergalactic adventure, giant fighting robots, and boy wizards, 500 Days of Summer is a nice break.  No, it’s not the best movie evar but it does what it sets out to do well and at an hour and a half in length, it’s perfect for a quiet summer evening. 

Tom is a hopeless romantic, waiting for his perfect girl, and he knows it will be love at first sight.  Summer is the opposite – a free spirit who tries to avoid getting into serious relationships as she finds them too messy.  And so the story begins…or middles…see, 500 Days of Summer is told in a non-linear style, taking the audience to random days in the 500 days of this relationship (starting from the day Tom first sees Summer until the day he officially moves on).

It’s a really sweet movie and it’s heart is in the right place.  Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt work really well together as this on screen couple.  Clearly, this movie is targeted toward my generation, or more like the one right before it, with references to Star Wars, Knight Rider, The Smiths, and many more random pop culture jokes. 

Oddly enough, it reminded me of ‘How I Met Your Mother‘.  Tom reminded me a lot of Ted – and not just because of the random narrator that follows them both around (a part of the movie I was never 100% comfortable with, but I guess it worked to get some of the gags out).  Their mission for their soul mate is about the same.  So if you’re a fan of that show, you’ll probably really enjoy this movie.

500 Days of Summer is a nice way to relax – there’s are no villians or evil doers.  It’s just a sweet store. I think the humor and writing will appeal to both men and women.  If you can find a theater close by playing it, I totally recommend grabbing some friends and heading over.  (Comedies are always better when you have someone to laugh along with).  If not, def. put it on your Netflix list.  It doesn’t have any big budget special effects, so seeing it on the big screen isn’t crucial. 

And yes, like every good summer indie flick should – it has an awesome soundtrack.