500days

Oh, “(500) Days of Summer” if you weren’t so damn cute I’d be angry at you for encouraging the pretentious hipster movement.

Before I go any further, let me get one thing off my chest. If I see one more movie that has some bubbly-voiced girl singing badly or someone spouting off newly-invented slang, or a guy with a man-purse, I’m going to scream (at Diablo Cody for starting it).

OK, I feel better. Aside from the hip overdose, I loved “(500) Days of Summer.” Even though the movie’s narrator tells the viewer it’s not a love story, it is. It’s just a different kind of love story. So different that it’s refreshing.

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a lonely guy who works as a greeting card writer because architecture didn’t work out. While at work, he meets new employee Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and immediately knows thinks she’s the one.  They do hit it off, and it looks a lot like they’re dating. But are they? We think  so. And Tom thinks so. Summer does not.

Director Marc Webb gives us their story by skipping back and forth through the 500 days between their first and last meetings. And it’s surprisingly easy to follow despite that format we’re all used to. You know, the one where boy meets girl, they fall in love, they have a fight, they break up, they get back together (all in that order).

That storytelling is the best part. Well, besides the musical number (yes, I’m serious) to Hall and Oates’ “You Make my Dreams Come True.” Hilarious scene.

Levitt and Deschanel are brilliant actors and were perfect for this movie. Levitt’s comic timing is impeccable and Deschanel’s charm is intense. They’re both so cute I can hardly stand it.

It’s been called the “When Harry Met Sally” and the “Annie Hall” for Generation Y. But for me, “(500) Days of Summer” was so original there’s nothing I can compare it to.

“(500) Days of Summer” is now playing in limited release.

Grade: A-

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