(500) Days of Summer

'This is not a Love Story. This is a story about Love.'

This is what the tagline of this movie says. And surprisingly, it stands true to that. I'd been pestered by a few friends to watch this movie. Roger Ebert gave it a 4 on 4. And so I thought, maybe I should try this. And I did.

(500) Days of Summer isn't one of the finest movie I've seen. But its one of those rare films made with a lot of heart. Here is the storyline- Boy meets Girl. They are together. Then she leaves him. He's lost. He starts all over again. Sounds similar? Ofcourse. This is the oldest tale in the world. But its told in a non-linear, haphazard way, like going through a bunch of memories, none of which are in order.

Tom(Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a romantic at heart, someone who believes in soul mates, miracles and destiny. Summer(Zooey Deschanel) is what could be termed as quite an opposite, someone who's happy staying alone and strong enough to admit it. And then they fall in love. No, he does. She doesn't. And she makes it clear to him from the first day. But Tom is happy staying with her without bothering too much about the future. They have their little quarrels, their embarrassing moments in public(Penis in the Park!?), their little gifts to each other and more(You'd know if you'd ever been into a relationship). And then suddenly she leaves him. And he's broken. Technically this is where the film begins. And goes back in terms of his memories. But its not really about the plot or how it may end. Its about each individual memory etched in Tom's mind as he tries to fight through them and get to a new beginning.

Having such a tiny, uncomplicated cast helped the film but the lead pair had to shoulder a lot of responsibility. And both Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel couldn't have been outdone. Gordon-Levitt has that Tom Hanksian charm to him which makes him adorable and he fits into the role of Tom Hansen who is in search of The One. And I cannot see no one else playing Summer because Deschanel is exactly that kind of a woman who has the power to seduce men, to control them but also at the same time, to stay aloof. She's just perfect.

Having just gotten over a breakup, I could connect to Tom in a few scenes but I guess that is pretty much inevitable. The script is soft but not fragile and the movie owes a lot to its director, Marc Webb for the way its been shot. With those witty references to old movies, picturesque Los Angeles and some amazing, sharp dialogue, the movie is a winner of hearts. Least of all, Tom's.