(500) Days of Summer

This is the quintessential female movie. A slow, juiceless, drudging movie filled with endless amounts of dry humor. The two main love birds in this movie are Joseph Gordon-Levitt
who plays Tom Hansen and Zooey Deschanel who is Summer Finn. First off, Levitt is not that funny, he does promote any charisma. What is so special about him? Because he is thin? Perhaps it was the writing but I would not pay to see him in a movie, not based on this performance.

I have seen Zooey before and she makes a solid supporting actress. But she is not cute enough to pull this off. She is cute at best, this movie has very little to offer in terms of attractive females. Why would pay to see a girl which any guy would not bat an eye over if she was working as a cashier at the great Home Depot.

This movie is about a guy who can not be happy unless he has a girlfriend. He is uncomfortable with himself despite having some good friends, emanating from a healthy family, and someone who has their health. Perhaps he needs to spend some time in Mexico to see genuine misery.

The movie does have some excellent start up music with Regina Spector. The opening is harmonious because they have some light humor issued from a narrator. That is unique. But this enlightening beginning soon dissipates and these platitudinous characters take full control.

This movie has a funny narrator which pits the viewer's opinion with what the writer wants us to think. I actually like when narrators in movies because it makes it easy for me. I guess I am lazy when watching a movie, I do not want to think when seeing a movie like this. Though this movie was agony to sit through, that is I did not really, but this movie is different than Seven or Apollo 13. I would hate a narrator in a movie like this, every scene is too riveting and there is too many characters. Narration in a movie with such limited characters and slow scenes, narration is simple. Despite this uncomplication, I enjoy the narration.

Hansen is a holiday card writer and Summer is his manager's assistant. There relationship issues affect the work place that surrounds them which is something everyone should want to avoid.

The movie shares this title since falling in love in the summer could make the summer seem longer. Or it could make it fly through even quicker. Another angle, a huge breakup in the summer could also make the summer seem to never reach its ending point. But the makers should have thought about the viewer since this movie requires alot of patience. Some scenes are insipid and I am wondering if this would be the case if Jennifer Love Hewitt took Zooey's place?

I have to give some credence to the musical director, there are some good songs that chosen for this movie. I do not understand why many movies do not have actual songs in them. I just Whiteout which was much better than this movie, far more entertaining, I think a song mixed in could have been a stronger edition. Do not get me wrong though, Whiteout was Wolverine or anything.

This movie does highlight the fact that what we plan on doing may not occur. How we think things should be, it may not work out that way. We have to be able to change and to accomodate certain conditions. Hanson learns this with Summer, she walks away. She does not want to marry him, the reason does not matter. Forcing someone to marry you is not wise, it will not work out and could actually spin out of control.

The soundtrack is superior to this movie. The movie was almost unwatchable in the first half but it did have a strong message in the final minutes.

I allocate this movie 2 stars.**