2009 Indianapolis International Film Festival: 500 Days of Summer

The opening night film at the 2009 Indianapolis International Film Festival, 500 Days Of Summer, is more than your typical romantic comedy. By utilizing some whimsical twists and turns, it’s able to stand out from other films in the genre.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are perfectly cast as the main characters Tom and Summer, young professionals who have different outlooks on love and life. The story follows their ups and downs in a nonlinear fashion, which may seem odd for a romance, but doesn’t come across as overly convoluted. Despite the unique story structure, the film is still able to maintain a sense of authenticity that other romantic comedies fail to achieve. I found the outlook on love and life each characters had, were similar to feelings I had at one point or another in the past.

The film also has a great soundtrack, favoring songs from lesser known groups like Doves and Spoon, while at the same time throwing in a few cheesy 80’s songs for laughs.

500 Days Of Summer does a great job of mixing happy and sad, bitter and sweet to create a convincing and satisfying story that is only enhanced by the risks the writers and director dared to take.