Life is so unfair: explored in this heartbreaking tale of love
Discover the compelling story that explores the unfair nature of life through the lens of a relatable hopeless romantic. This movie, while not a traditional love story, captivates with its nonlinear storytelling.
9/30/20251 min read


500 Days Of Summer(2009)
Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Webber
Directed by Marc Webb
The movie tells you at the start that even though this is a "boy meets a girl," it's not a love story, and so you know what is going to happen. Even though the storytelling being nonlinear is able to remind you how it ends, you're still so invested in the story, and I think it's because of the relatable hopeless romantic and the average of Tom that pulls you in and the way Marc Webb has captured him. His angst, his highs, his lows—we've all felt it, and despite it being so heartbreaking, the writing never makes it dull; it's genuinely funny and entertaining too. It also shows all the different stages of a relationship: the excitement, the comfort, the security, the happiness, and then finally its untimely death for one person.
It truly shows life's coincidences and unfair nature, how one person's life can be changed for good, but how the other's gets shattered. The beliefs, the hopes, and the ideology can all be changed just like that.
The fact that the story is inspired by one of the writer's own pasts is crazy. Marc Webb is so talented; he can break you in ways you won't even expect, and I think he likes it. I mean, look at Gifted, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and this!!!
Zooey Deschanel is amazing; her chemistry with Joseph Gordon-Levitt is phenomenal, and so is Joseph, because he literally embodies this character. He doesn't actually cry; he's broken, and it shows. I think he acts with his body a lot in the movie; it's very expressive yet subtle. Honestly, I don't know how to describe it.
The ending is something I genuinely wasn't expecting; Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Webber do not go with subtle eye contact or a nod; they go full throttle with dialogues and lines that can break you. I believe everyone should watch this movie at least once.
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