(500) Days of Summer

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt), using an unidentified narrator, recounts the 500 days of his relationship with the woman he thinks is the girl of his dreams , Summer (Zooey Deschanel). What could have been a banal story turns out to be gently comic, sweetly romantic in spots and a whole lot of sad. What makes it work is the inventive film work and the way the story is scripted. Tom has an adorable little sister who is wiser than Tom and she serves as the sensible advisor. Zooey dresses and accessorizes like she buys everything at ModCloth.com. Tom has his own Greek chorus of close friends. Zooey seems to be an island with a reality she very much believes in. I couldn't decide if Zooey was selfish, or was trying to love Tom because she LIKED him so much, or if she was a just a superficial person. Maybe all of it. Tom is a little sappy in his adoration and he misses the signs that all is not well and that is because it can't be well -because only one of them is in love. Alex loved this movie. And anyone who tends to love with all their heart, even against the odds, will identify with this movie. It is a charmer though. There is a little problem in that Zooey Deschanel is really not so beautiful that she would be a head turner. But I guess, as in most movies, a little suspension of belief is a good thing. The sound track is great and not intrusive. I am usually NOT a fan of narration in films because usually it's Morgan Freeman. And how often can you listen to that without wondering what Morgan Freeman is doing there? Once I was sure it wasn't him, I could relax. The narration is not necessary at all, and if I had one complaint, that would be it. And DO NOT get to the theater late. Because the very first seconds of the opening credits are some of the best.