500 Days of Summer Blu-ray Review

One of the most brilliantly annoying romantic comedy movies of 2009 released on Blu-ray with Digital Copy December 22nd from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Director Marc Webb - (500) Days of Summer.  This very original film tells a very resonating and real story about a young greeting card writer, Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and his new co-worker, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), whom he believes might be “the one”.

Tom is a romantic who grew up watching soap operas and dreaming of finding his soulmate.  Summer is a very intriguing, eccentric girl who takes interest in Tom after she begins work at his company.  Tom’s naivety initially makes things awkward, but he and Summer eventually embark on the honeymoon phase of a budding relationship.

The movie, (500) Days of Summer, chronicles from their first to last encounter, the 500 days of the relationship between Summer and Tom.  However, in very smart fashion, the story maneuvers back and forth from the early days of passion to the later days of reality, showing the audience what is to come and what has come in a way that is sure to hit home with many.

Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel are amazing together and make their characters as realistic as possible.  Tom’s innocence and awkwardness are very genuine to any many who dreamed of finding his soulmate.  Though her character is portrayed as the antagonist in the story, Deschanel still manages to make Summer extremely relevant.  Summer tells Tom early that she does not want a serious relationship, a damper on his spirits.  Yet, she manages to move beyond “friend zone” and tease his desire for romance just enough to keep him emotionally engaged.  This is what makes her annoying to many viewers.

The trouble with many romantic comedy films these days is they seem to follow very basic and age old constructs.  You usually get a boy or a girl who longs to be with someone out of their reach (as is the case initially in 500 Days), you get a pursuit, ultimately success, but usually a final major obstacle or turmoil to work through.  This movie is different.  It does not follow the conventional script and does not have the same already crafted ending.

In one unique sequence in (500) Days of Summer, Tom goes to Summer’s apartment at her invite to a party.  The two had not seen each other for quite a while and Tom thinks she might want to restart their relationship.  As he approaches her apartment, the screen splits in two and the viewer sees “Tom’s Expected” scenario play out simultaneous to the “Real” telling, which ultimately moves toward the climax of the story.

If you are a fan of great romantic comedies and are tired of the same old stories being presented with different titles on the cover, (500) Days of Summer is a perfect fit for your Friday night date night.  It is a very unique and well-told story with a great pair of leading stars in Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel.

Blu-ray special features with (500) Day of Summer include:

• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Bank Dance, Directed by Marc Webb
• Mean’s Cinemash: “Sid and Nancy/(500) Days of Summer”
• Not a Love Story: Making of a Featurette
• Conversations with Zooey and Joseph
• Music Video: “Sweet Disposition” by the Temper Trap
• Filmmaking Specials: Summar @ Sundance, Audition Tapes
• Audio Commentary with Director Marc Webb and Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt
• Digital Copy of Film for Portable Media Players

Blu-ray Review by Neil of Movie Room Reviews

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