Review: 500 Days of Summer

Review: 500 Days of Summer

Rating: ***1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Oh, groan! Another romantic comedy. But wait, neither Katherine Heigl, Jessica Sarah Parker, nor Jennifer Anniston is in it. There's hope. Indeed, there's more than hope. 500 Days of Summer is a delightful surprise -- beginning with it's title, which suddenly makes sense as we learn that "Summer" is a girl's name. The girl is played by the fascinating Zooey Deschanel who doesn't look, dress, or sound like the typical romantic movie heroine. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the male lead. I certainly didn't recognize his name, but I recognized his face. He played Tommy Solomon on Third Rock from the Sun, the "oldest" of the space alien Solomon clan -- definitely the most mature despite his teenage body. Gordon-Levitt's talents shone through in that series, but he earns the right to continue his acting career in lead roles in this movie. His character, Tom, is hopelessly in love with Summer, who just might not be that much into him. The film plays deftly with a reversal of the sexual stereotypes so prevalent in current romantic films. And, I don't want to give away much more. Just know that this is not a chick flick. It bound to delight men as well as women.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it