THE ARCHITECTURE OF PRETTINESS

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We've seen Hollywood romantic comedies for years and most of them are apparently the same. Recently, most of the rom-coms are brushed with raunchiness and it's either deleterious or coltish to the movie. Here comes an independent film which is being tagged as “the best romantic comedy film of 2009” and probably “the best and the freshest rom-com of the past 20 years”. Are the critics right about (500) Days Of Summer ? Hmmm...for me this is not the freshest but I think it's really the weirdest. Indeed, the best rom-com of 2009 so far.

FILM PREMISE: Unsuccessful architect turned greeting card writer Tom Hanson is really hexed in love. His best friends McKenzie and Paul constantly criticise him about his desperate and dateless nights. All of that changes the minute he meets a new assistant who hails from Michigan named Summer. She finds him charming and funny. In Tom's sullied eyes, however, she's the girl of his dreams, his soulmate. Over the course of 500 insane days, the two finds something in common . But Summer doesn't believe in love, and that puzzles Tom. She doesn't mind being intimate with him, or spending time with someone she cares about like kissing and making love with each other. With that Tom thinks they're already lovers, officially! But for Summer they're just friends. What happens on the 69th day??? Don't ask.



This film is simply pretty. It's cute but it's weird. The truth is the story is still ordinary but the writers have tried a different formula. The film is being narrated in a nonlinear way. It's like watching the days of the castaways in Survivor but the days are scrambled. First the movie shows their break-up then their first day of meeting immediately follows. Then, as the reel rolls on, we get to see their sweet and sour moments scattered in the entire half . For me, this style is inventive because it is quiet appealing but honestly it is also confusing once you blink or maybe suddenly fall into slumber. It is really important that you must see the days being flashed on the screen. I personally love the story. I can easily relate with Tom's character. The film is richly peppered with hilarious moments and believe me the jokes are really funny. Even though this is a heartbreaking story right from the outset, it still manages to burst some unexpected chuckle in that melancholic situation. The narration sounds a little “Disney” to me though.The best thing about this film is its unpredictability. The ending is really mind blowing!!!!



Hands down to the exquisite filmmaking. The shots are amazing from the first frame of sadness down to the last frame of happiness. I love the nitid cinematography. There is a scene of Tom running in a subway tunnel and for me it's one of the best shots taken in this film. Probably, the remarkable part here is day after their first sex. Tom walks down the street and imagines himself in a musical production number set to the tune of Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams." After hearing that song, I immediately searched and saved it in my mp3 player. That scene however reminds me of the musical scene of “That's How You Know” from Enchanted taken in the Central Park.They look almost the same but this one is just short and kinda rocky. I also do this thing in the morning everytime I had a very good sex the night before. What was the song I sang recently? Hmmm..I think it was “So Small” by Carrie Underwood. Don't ask me why but all I can tell that it's really small. Bwa ha ha ha!!! If those technical elements are already enough to thaw my heart, just wait for the songs featured in the entire movie!!!! OH God!!! It's like listening to the soundtrack of Grey's Anatomy. The songs are killing me!!!!





Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are both brilliant in their roles. They are not the highest-paid actors in the industry but they are truly inspired to do this. Their chemistry is sweet and it makes me giggle watching their quirkiness. Levitt is a perfect deadringer for the late Heath Ledger. Did you know that he is the voice of Jim Hawkins in a Disney film called Treasure Planet? Both of them can really sing a song. Zooey is truly hippie while Joseph is grungy. But for me Levitt rocks the whole film.



At the beginning, the narrator tells that this is not a love story. Like huh? (500) Days of Summer is all about love. I still don't get it why the movie is still claiming that it is not a love story. Anyway, I'm still recommending this inventive rom-com. This could not be the freshest of 'em all but this rom-com is truly watchable in every season. This film can melt the snow in winter, it can even wilt the flowers in spring , it can even surprise a rain in the summer and most of all, the film promises a blooming autumn.