500 Days of Summer

{{hatnote|The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative, jumping between various days within the 500 days of Tom and Summer's relationship. There is an on-screen timer showing the day. The following is a linear summary of the plot.}}

Tom Hansen is an aspiring architect who works as a writer at a greeting card company. He meets Summer Finn, a new employee. They discover that they have a similar taste in music. Later, at a karaoke night for their work, they talk about love. Tom believes in it, but Summer does not. Tom's friend and co-worker McKenzie drunkenly reveals that Tom likes Summer, which he asserts is only "as friends", something Summer agrees with. A few days later, Summer spontaneously kisses Tom in the office. Summer is not looking for a serious relationship. Tom agrees to a casual relationship. That night, they have sex; Tom is elated.

Over the first few months of their relationship, they grow closer. Tom's friends and his preteen half-sister Rachel push him to ask Summer where they are in their relationship, though Summer brushes this off, saying that it should not matter as long as they are both happy. One night, Tom fights with a man who tries to pick Summer up in a bar, causing their first argument. They make up, and Summer concedes Tom deserves some certainty, but it would be impossible to promise she will always feel the same way about him.

Slowly, their relationship becomes less passionate, and they begin to argue continuously. Summer quits the greeting card company and breaks up with Tom, citing their evident unhappiness. Tom's boss moves him to the consolations department, as his depression is making him unsuitable for happier events. Tom goes on a blind date with Alison. Tom spends the date talking about Summer until Alison leaves exasperated.

Months later, Tom attends co-worker Millie's wedding and tries to avoid Summer on the train, but she spots him and invites him for coffee. They have a good time at the wedding, dance together, and Summer catches the bouquet. She invites Tom to a party at her apartment, falling asleep on his shoulder on the ride back. He attends the party, hoping to rekindle their relationship, but barely interacts with Summer, spending most of the night drinking alone, until he spots her engagement ring.

Tom leaves devastated. Further depressed, he only leaves his apartment for alcohol and junk food. After a few days, he returns to work hung over and quits after an emotional outburst. Rachel tells Tom that she does not believe Summer was "the one" and that he only remembers happy memories of the relationship. Tom thinks harder, finally seeing moments of incompatibility he had overlooked and warning signs he had missed on the day of the breakup. One day, Tom finds the energy to get out of bed and rededicates himself to architecture, as Summer had encouraged him. He assembles a portfolio and secures job interviews.

Summer visits Tom at his favorite spot in the city. He tells her he left the office, and notes that she got married, which he cannot comprehend as she never wanted to be someone's girlfriend. Summer says she got married because she felt sure, which she did not with Tom. When he says he was wrong about true love existing, she counters that he was right about it, just wrong about it being with her. She tells him she is glad he is doing well. Tom wishes her happiness.

On Wednesday, May 23, Tom meets a woman applying for the same job. He finds she shares his favorite spot and invites her for coffee afterwards. She politely declines, then changes her mind. Her name is Autumn.

{{Cast listing|

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen, a trained architect who works as a writer at a greeting card company.
• Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn, assistant to Tom's boss.
• Olivia Bagg as Young Summer
• Geoffrey Arend as McKenzie, Tom's friend and co-worker at the greeting card company.
• Chloë Grace Moretz as Rachel Hansen, Tom's younger half-sister.
• Matthew Gray Gubler as Paul, one of Tom's friends.
• Clark Gregg as Vance, Tom's boss.
• Rachel Boston as Alison, Tom's blind date.
• Minka Kelly as Autumn
• Key Williams as Tommy Abraham
• Patricia Belcher as Millie
• Maile Flanagan as Rhoda
• Yvette Nicole Brown as Vance's New Secretary
• Richard McGonagle as Narrator

}}

The film is presented as a non-linear narrative. Each scene is introduced using a title card showing which of the 500 days it is.{{cite web |title=500 Days of... Jenny Beckman? |url=http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/02/500-days-of-jenny-beckman |publisher=Cinematical.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722150537/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/07/02/500-days-of-jenny-beckman/ |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |url-status= dead |access-date=September 22, 2009 |df=mdy }} Co-writer of the film Scott Neustadter admitted the film was based on a real romance. Neustadter explains that when he met the real girl who inspired the character Summer as a student at the London School of Economics in 2002, he was rebounding from a bad breakup back home, and promptly fell "crazily, madly, hopelessly in love" with the girl who "returned his kisses but not his ardor." The ending of the relationship was "painfully and unforgettably awful," which prompted him to co-write the film with Michael H. Weber. When Neustadter later showed the script to Summer's real-life counterpart, she said she related more to the Tom character.{{cite web

| title = Suck on it, Jenny Beckman

| url = http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/08/31/500_days_of_bummer

| work = Salon

| last = Williams

| first = Mary Elizabeth

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090904214950/http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/08/31/500_days_of_bummer/

| archive-date = September 4, 2009

| url-status = dead

| access-date = September 2, 2019

| df = mdy

|date=Aug 31, 2009

}} Weber also stated that, "we've all been in the trenches of love, we've all gone through the highs and lows, so Scott and I felt that the only way to tell this story was to come at it from a completely real place. It was pretty interesting for us because Scott was just going through a break-up and I was in a long-term relationship, so we each brought a totally opposite perspective, living it and not living it, and I think that tension helped to bring out more of the comedy".

Director Marc Webb has described the film as more of a "coming of age" story as opposed to a "rom-com". He stated, "We arrive at a different conclusion, for one thing. Plus, most romantic comedies are more loyal to a formula than to emotional truth. It's about happiness, and learning that you'll find it within yourself, rather than in the big blue eyes of the girl in the cubicle down the hall. I wanted to make an unsentimental movie and an uncynical movie. In my mind, I wanted it to be something you could dance to. That's why we put a parenthesis in the title – it's like a pop song in movie form. It's not a big film. It's not about war or poverty. It's about 500 days in a young guy's relationship, but it's no less deserving of scrutiny. When your heart is first broken, it consumes you. And it's an emotion I wanted to make a movie about, before I forgot how it felt".{{cite news

| url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/aug/16/500-days-of-summer

| title='Is there such a thing as "the one" – and what happens if you lose her?

| work=The Guardian

| last=Wiseman

| first=Eva

| access-date=August 16, 2009

| location=London

| date=August 16, 2009

}}

Webb also stated that Deschanel's character, Summer, is based on a stock character type; "Yes, Summer is an immature view of a woman. She's Tom's view of a woman. He doesn't see her complexity and the consequence for him is heartbreak. In Tom's eyes, Summer is perfection, but perfection has no depth. Summer's not a girl, she's a phase." Gordon-Levitt explained that he was drawn to the role of Tom because of his relatability to the character. "I've had my heart broken before. Truly, truly broken. But when I look back at me in my heartbroken phase, it's pretty hilarious, because it felt so much more extreme than it really was. One of the things I love about (500) Days of Summer is that it doesn't make light of what we go through in romances, but it is honest about it and shows it for what it is, which is often profoundly funny".

File:Bradbury building Los Angeles c2005 01383u crop.jpg in Los Angeles was a filming location.]]

David Ng of the Los Angeles Times describes architecture as a star of the film.

Tom is seen reading Alain de Botton's The Architecture of Happiness.

The film was originally set in San Francisco but was later moved to Los Angeles and the script rewritten to make better use of the location.{{cite web

| url=http://la.curbed.com/archives/2009/06/tk.php

| title=Screenwriter explains 500 Days Focus on Architecture, Downtown LA

| work=Curbed LA

| last=Gluck

| first=Marissa

| date=June 8, 2009

| access-date=June 8, 2009

}}

Buildings used include the Los Angeles Music Center (which includes the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) and the towers of California Plaza.{{cite news

| author=David Ng

| date=June 9, 2009

| title=Downtown L.A. architecture stars in (500) Days of Summer

| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/06/500-days-of-summer-frank-gehry-architecture-joseph-gordonlevitt-zooey-deschanel.html

| work=Los Angeles Times

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}}

The older Fine Arts Building is featured in the film, in a scene where Tom shows it to Summer and mentions its designers, Walker and Eisen, two of his favorite architects.

Christopher Hawthorne of the Los Angeles Times describes the film as having "finely honed sense of taste" to include the Bradbury Building where Tom goes for his job interview.{{cite news |last=Hawthorne |first=Christopher |title=L.A. as filtered by love in (500) Days of Summer |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-500days-2009jul31,0,3332091.story |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 8, 2010 |date=July 31, 2009}}{{cite news |date=July 30, 2009 |first=Christopher |last=Hawthorne |title=500 Days of architecture |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/07/500-days-of-architecture.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 8, 2010}}

Tom's favorite spot in Los Angeles was shot at Angel's Knoll, which became a popular tourist attraction after the film's release. Since July 2013 it has been closed off to the public due to state cutbacks.{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2013 |author1=MERLE GINSBERG |author2=GARY BAUM |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/las-famous-500-days-summer-611391 |title=L.A.'s Famous '(500) Days of Summer' Bench Closed in Budget Cuts |website= The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=2022-04-01 }} In his article about cinematic cartography, Dr. Chris Lukinbeal suggests that the location of Angel's Knoll mirrors Tom's view of the world. He argues that Tom only perceives the beauty of the buildings surrounding them and only acknowledges the parking lot when Summer points it out to him. He states that "Tom is also unable to see beyond his expectations of hopeless romance."{{Cite web|url=https://necsus-ejms.org/the-mapping-of-500-days-of-summer-a-processual-approach-to-cinematic-cartography/|title=Necsus {{!}} The mapping of '500 Days of Summer': A processual approach to cinematic cartography|website=necsus-ejms.org |date=December 9, 2018 |access-date=2020-03-05}}

Costume designer, Hope Hanafin has revealed through interviews that Marc Webb insisted on the color blue being worn exclusively by Summer. He based his decision on Zooey Deschanel's eye color, but as Hanafin disclosed, it works on a subconscious level as well, attracting attention at all times. The only scene to break this "rule" is the Hall & Oates dance sequence where many of the extras appear in blue. "The point of that was to show that, in his morning-after glow, Tom's whole world is a reflection of Summer".{{Cite web |url=https://www.elle.com/pop-culture/reviews/screen-style-500-days-of-summer-389995 |title=A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Fashion in (500) Days of Summer |last=Cox |first=Johanna |date=2009-12-22 |website=ELLE |access-date=2020-03-04 }} The costumes are a mixture of vintage and fast fashion with the emphasis on staying realistic to what the characters could afford. Summer's wardrobe is refreshing and stylish without anything tying it to the years around the film's release which gives the aesthetics a timeless quality.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2550669/500-days-of-summer-we-got-the-inside-scoop-on-zooey-deschanels-retro-chic-style/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126064244/http://www.mtv.com/news/2550669/500-days-of-summer-we-got-the-inside-scoop-on-zooey-deschanels-retro-chic-style/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2016 |title='500 Days Of Summer': We Got The Inside Scoop On Zooey Deschanel's Retro-Chic Style |last=Soll |first=Lindsay |website=MTV News |access-date=2020-03-04 }}

{{Main|500 Days of Summer (soundtrack){{!}}500 Days of Summer (soundtrack)}}

Two soundtrack albums were released for (500) Days of Summer. The first, consisting of various pop songs from the film, was released through Sire Records and reached no. 42 on the Billboard 200 sales chart.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200#/album/original-soundtrack/500-days-of-summer/1265381 |title=(500) Days of Summer – Original Soundtrack | magazine=Billboard |access-date=January 8, 2010}} Andrew Leahey of AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "With music playing such an integral role in the story line, it's refreshing to see that the accompanying soundtrack does its job well, distilling the characters' record collections (not to mention the movie's quirky, nostalgic ambiance) into one eclectic track list."{{cite web |last=Leahey |first=Andrew |title=Review: (500) Days of Summer |website=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/500-days-of-summer-mw0000821836 |access-date=2015-08-28}} The second album consists of the film's musical score, composed by Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen.

To help promote the film, Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel starred in the debut episode of Microsoft Zune and Mean Magazine{{'}}s Cinemash series. In the episode, they "mash" the characters from the film Sid and Nancy with story elements from (500) Days of Summer.{{cite web |url= https://www.firstshowing.net/2009/zooey-deschanel-and-joseph-gordon-levitt-as-sid-and-nancy/ |title=Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Sid and Nancy |date=July 7, 2009 |last=Billington |first=Alex |publisher=FirstShowing.net |format=video |access-date=March 5, 2020}}{{cite AV media |date= Aug 17, 2009 |author= MeanDigital |title= Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Cinemash Sid and Nancy |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln29hZ9hhZ0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Ln29hZ9hhZ0 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|via= YouTube |format=video |access-date= April 10, 2020 }}{{cbignore}}

Marc Webb created a music video as a companion piece to the film, titled "The Bank Heist". It features Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt dancing to "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?", a song by Deschanel's folk group She & Him.{{cite news |date=August 15, 2011 |first=Lisa |last=Fung |title=A new dance video from (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/08/500-days-of-summer-director-marc-webb-.html |work=Los Angeles Times |format=video |access-date=January 8, 2010}} Webb remarked, "when we didn't include Zooey in the dance sequence [in 500 Days], she was a little heartbroken and I felt like I needed to remedy that."{{cite web |last=Tytus |first=Marc |title=Marc on Marc: My Interview with Director Marc Webb |url=http://www.500days.com/marc-on-marc-my-interview-with-director-marc-webb.html |publisher=500Days.com |access-date=April 28, 2014}}

File:JosephGordon-LevittZooeyDeschanel500DaysMar09.jpg

The film made its debut at the 25th Sundance Film Festival. It proved a huge success and received a standing ovation from festival crowds upon screening.{{cite web| url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=57161| title=Exclusive CS Video: Directing (500) Days of Summer

| website=ComingSoon.net| last=Douglas| first=Edward| date=July 16, 2009

| access-date=January 7, 2010}} In Europe, (500) Days of Summer premiered in Switzerland as the opening film of the 62nd Locarno Film Festival.{{cite web

| title=Locarno Film Festival presents leaner bill| work=SwissInfo.ch| date=July 15, 2009| url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_digest/Locarno_Film_Festival_presents_leaner_bill.html?cid=995986| access-date=December 1, 2010}}

Filmed independently, it was picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight Pictures and opened in the United States and Canada on July 17, 2009, later expanding to wide release on August 7, 2009.{{cite web|last=Bowser|first=Jacquie|date=2009-08-20|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/fox-searchlight-online-campaign-500-days-summer/928155 |title=500 Days of Summer |work=campaignlive.co.uk |access-date=March 5, 2020 }} It was later also released on September 2, 2009, in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and opened in Australia on September 17, 2009.{{cite web

| title=Release Schedule June 2009

| url=http://www.foxfilms.com/releaseschedules/fox_release_schedule_2009_june.pdf

| work=Press Release

| publisher=Fox Films

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806093327/http://www.foxmovies.com/releaseschedules/fox_release_schedule_2009_june.pdf

| archive-date=August 6, 2009

| url-status=dead

| access-date=January 7, 2010

| df=mdy

}}

Upon the film's initial limited release in the U.S, it was expected to become the "breakout indie hit of the summer".{{cite web

| url=http://www.observer.com/2009/movies/box-office-breakdown-harry-potter-wears-crown-500-days-summer-opens-strong-bruno-takes-b

| title=Box Office Breakdown: Harry Potter Wears the Crown, (500) Days of Summer Opens Strong, Brüno Takes a Bath

| work=The New York Observer

| last=Rosen

| first=Christopher

| date=July 20, 2009

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902080805/http://www.observer.com/2009/movies/box-office-breakdown-harry-potter-wears-crown-500-days-summer-opens-strong-bruno-takes-b

| archive-date=September 2, 2009

| url-status=dead

| access-date=January 22, 2010

}}

By September 8, the film had taken in $1.9 million from 318 screens in the United Kingdom. This was regarded as a successful five-day opening by Fox Searchlight, earning around half as much as the science-fiction blockbuster District 9, which took in $3.5 million.{{cite web |url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_digest/Locarno_Film_Festival_presents_leaner_bill.html?cid=995986 |title=District 9 claims UK box office No. 1 |work=Digital Spy |author=Alex Fletcher |date=September 9, 2009 |access-date=December 1, 2010}}

The film ended up grossing $32.4 million in the United States and Canada and $60.7 million worldwide.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 86% based on 230 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A clever, offbeat romantic comedy, (500) Days of Summer is refreshingly honest and utterly charming."{{cite web |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/500_days_of_summer/ |title= (500) Days of Summer (2009) |work= Rotten Tomatoes |access-date= April 11, 2025 }} At the website's year-end "Golden Tomato Awards", which honored the best reviewed films of 2009, the film placed second in the romantic category.{{cite web

| url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/rtawards/romance

| title= 11th Annual Golden Tomato Awards – Romance

| work= Rotten Tomatoes

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100217045732/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/rtawards/romance

| archive-date= 2010-02-17

| access-date= August 10, 2020

}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web

| url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/500-days-of-summer

| title=(500) Days of Summer (2009)

| website= Metacritic

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}}

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four, describing the film as "a delightful comedy, alive with invention". He particularly praised the strong performances of Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel and summarized his review by adding, "Here is a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why".{{cite news| last=Ebert | first=Roger | author-link=Roger Ebert | title=A perfect love not meant to last | pages=Movies section, pp. 1, 5 | work= Chicago Sun-Times| date=July 17, 2009 | url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/500-days-of-summer-2009 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203090950/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090715/REVIEWS/907159997 | archive-date=February 3, 2013 | access-date=January 1, 2022 | url-status=live| df=mdy }} Premiere also awarded the film four stars out of four, stating "Much like the actual summer (the season, not the character), we never wanted it to end".{{cite web

| url = http://www.premiere.com/Review/Movies/500-Days-of-Summer

| title = (500) Days of Summer. This is not a love story... but yet it is

| work = Premiere

| access-date = January 8, 2010

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100120114554/http://www.premiere.com/Review/Movies/500-Days-of-Summer

| archive-date = January 20, 2010

| url-status = dead

| df = mdy-all

}}

Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "(500) Days of Summer is something seldom seen: an original romantic comedy. It bristles with energy, emotion and intellect, as it flits about the dizzying highs and weeping-karaoke lows of a passionate entanglement".{{cite news |last=Ordoña |first=Michael |title=(500) Days of Summer |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 17, 2009 |pages=D1, D8 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-17-et-500days17-story.html |access-date=August 10, 2009 }}

Dana Stevens of Slate also praised the film and described it as "a keeper. It's fun both to watch and to talk about afterward, and it possesses the elusive rom-com sine qua non: two equally appealing leads who bounce wonderfully off each other".{{cite web|last=Stevens |first=Dana |title=(500) Days of Summer |work=Slate |date=July 16, 2009 |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2223021 |access-date=January 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807065019/http://www.slate.com/id/2223021 |archive-date=August 7, 2009 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}

Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman gave the film an "A", and also praised the originality of the story; "Most romantic comedies have half a dozen situations at best: Meet Cute, Infatuation, Pop Song Montage, Contrived Mix-Up, Angry Breakup, and Final Clinch. (500) Days of Summer is about the many unclassifiable moments in between. It's a feat of star acting, and it helps make 500 Days not just bitter or sweet but everything in between".{{cite magazine

| last=Gleiberman

| first=Owen

| author-link=Owen Gleiberman

| title=Movie Review: (500) Days of Summer

| magazine=Entertainment Weekly

| url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20291403,00.html

| access-date=April 10, 2020

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719055218/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20291403,00.html

| archive-date=July 19, 2009

| url-status=dead

| date=July 31, 2009

| df=mdy

}} Film Threat critic Scott Knopf gave the film a maximum five stars, writing: "Of course they meet. Of course they fall for each other. Of course there are problems. It sounds cliché but what's remarkable about 500 Days is how the film explores new ways to tell the world's oldest story". He concluded that the film was "the best romantic comedy since Love Actually."{{cite news

| last=Knopf

| first=Scott

| title=(500) Days of Summer

| work=Film Threat

| url=http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=11501

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820235009/http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=11501

| archive-date=August 20, 2009

| access-date=April 14, 2010

| url-status=dead

}} Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three and a half stars out of four. He wrote, "Boy meets girl, boy loses girl. It's been done to emo death. That's why the sublimely smart-sexy-joyful-sad (500) Days of Summer hits you like a blast of pure romantic oxygen" and concludes: "500 Days is otherwise a different kind of love story: an honest one that takes a piece out of you".{{cite magazine

| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/500-days-of-summer-20090716

| title=(500) Days of Summer: Review

| magazine=Rolling Stone

| last=Travers

| first=Peter

| author-link=Peter Travers

| date=July 16, 2009

| access-date=January 8, 2011

}} USA Today's Claudia Puig wrote: "Much like Annie Hall did for a previous generation, (500) Days of Summer may be the movie that best captures a contemporary romantic sensibility."{{cite news

| url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2009-07-16-500-days-of-summer_N.htm

| title= Bask in the warmth of delightful (500) Days of Summer

| work= USA Today

| last= Puig

| first= Claudia

| author-link= Claudia Puig

| access-date= April 10, 2020

| date= July 19, 2009

}} IGN critic Eric Goldman gave the film 9 out of 10, and praised the film as "one of the best of 2009" and particularly complimented the innovative nature of the story in an often clichéd genre; "(500) Days of Summer proved there is a way to bring something fresh and new to one of the most cliché and often frustrating genres – the romantic comedy".{{cite web

| url=http://bluray.ign.com/articles/105/1057329p1.html

| title=(500) Days of Summer Blu-ray Review: A wonderful, fresh take on the romantic comedy gets the HD treatment

| work=IGN

| last=Goldman

| first=Eric

| date=December 23, 2009

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}} A.O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film 4 out of 5 and called it "Slight, charming and refreshingly candid little picture."{{cite news

| date=July 17, 2009

| last=Scott

| first=A.O.

| author-link=A.O. Scott

| title=Love at the Greeting Card Company: Best Wishes on Your Breakup

| work=The New York Times

| page=C10

| url= https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/movies/17five.html

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}}

Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club graded the film B−, but criticized it for its "dispiriting clichés," which make it "wind up in a no-man's land between Hollywood and something real."{{cite web

| title=(500) Days of Summer

| url=https://www.avclub.com/500-days-of-summer-1798206595

| work=The A.V. Club

| last=Tobias

| first=Scott

| date=July 16, 2009

| access-date=January 8, 2010

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719091247/http://www.avclub.com/articles/500-days-of-summer,30422/

| archive-date=July 19, 2009

| url-status=live

| df=mdy

}} NPR was more dismissive: "For all its rhetorical whimsy and hipster dressings, (500) Days of Summer is a thoroughly conservative affair, as culturally and romantically status quo as any Jennifer Aniston vehicle."{{cite news

| title=Days of Summer: Ephron for the Hipster S

| url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106480238

| newspaper=NPR

| last=Lee

| first=Nathan

| date = July 16, 2009

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}} Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal was also more critical, calling it, "synthetic and derivative, a movie that's popping with perceptions while searching for a style."{{cite news

| title=Love Cools in Summer

| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204423804574290003513431342

| work=The Wall Street Journal

| last=Morgenstern

| first=Joe

| access-date=March 1, 2010

| date=July 24, 2009

}}

British newspaper The Times gave a mixed review. Despite Toby Young awarding the film three stars out of five, he critiqued, "It is hardly the freshest romantic comedy of past 20 years. Taking the best bits from other movies and rearranging them in a non-linear sequence does not make for an original film."{{cite news

| title=(500) Days of Summer

| url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article6820319.ece

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005124254/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article6820319.ece

| url-status=dead

| archive-date=October 5, 2009

| work=The Times

| last=Young

| first=Toby

| access-date=January 8, 2010

| location=London

| date=September 4, 2009

}} The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw said the film was "let down by sitcom cliches, and by being weirdly incurious about the inner life of its female lead."{{cite news

| date=September 3, 2009

| title=(500) Days of Summer

| url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/03/500-days-of-summer-review

| work=The Guardian

| author=Peter Bradshaw

| author-link=Peter Bradshaw

| location=London

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}}

Mark Adams of the Daily Mirror, though, gave the film a glowing review, awarding it a full five stars, and writing, "It is a modern romance for grown-ups... a sweet-natured, funny, deeply-romantic tale that brims with energy and is blessed with top-notch performances by Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt, who are both charming and have real chemistry".{{cite web

| url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/film/2009/08/30/500-days-of-summer-115875-21636026

| title=(500) Days of Summer

| work=Daily Mirror

| last=Adams

| first=Mark

| date=August 29, 2009

| access-date=January 8, 2010

}} Empire gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, and wrote: "Perfectly played, simultaneously serious and light, endlessly inventive, this is a strong contender for the most original date movie of the year."{{cite web

| author= William Thomas

| url= https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/500-days-summer-review/

| title=(500) Days of Summer (12A)

| work= Empire

| date= August 6, 2009

| access-date=March 5, 2020

}}

{{Anchor|Awards}}

The film was also included in several "Top Ten" year-end lists for 2009 by various film critics.

In the Entertainment Weekly's interview of the 10th anniversary of the film's release, the lead actors, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, addressed its cultural impact and the viewers' frequent misconception of their characters, such as thinking Summer is a villain. Even though the film is told from Tom's point of view, "Summer is completely honest the entire movie."{{Cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/02/06/500-days-summer-viewing-party/ |title=Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt revisit '(500) Days of Summer' 10 years later|magazine= Entertainment Weekly |access-date=2020-03-05}} Gordon-Levitt repeatedly warned against sympathizing with his character Tom, who "develops a mildly delusional obsession over a girl onto whom he projects all these fantasies [...] That's falling in love with the idea of a person, not the actual person."{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joseph-gordon-levitt-500-days-of-summer-selfish_n_1795676|title=Joseph Gordon-Levitt Doesn't Think You Should Like His '(500) Days' Character|date=2012-08-17|website=HuffPost Canada |access-date=2020-03-05}}

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber received numerous awards for their screenplay; including the 2009 Hollywood Film Festival's Hollywood Breakthrough Screenwriter Award on October 26, 2009,{{cite web

| url=http://www.hollywoodawards.com/news/2009/breakthroughrelease.html

| title=Hollywood Fest Honors Carey Mulligan, Jeremy Renner, Lee Daniels, Gabourey Sidibe, and Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

| publisher=HollywoodAwards.com

| access-date=January 8, 2010

| url-status=dead

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926155135/http://hollywoodawards.com/news/2009/breakthroughrelease.html

| archive-date=September 26, 2010

}} the Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay,{{cite web

| url=https://www.sefca.net/2009

| title=2009 14th Annual SATELLITE AWARDS

| work=International Press Academy

| access-date=March 5, 2020

}} the Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay (with the film also being named in the Top Ten Films of the Year),{{cite web

| url=http://www.sefca.org/a2009.html

| title=2009 SEFCA Best Films of the Year

| work=Southeastern Film Critics Association

| access-date=March 5, 2020

| url-status=usurped

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217014419/http://www.sefca.org/a2009.html

| archive-date=December 17, 2010

| df=mdy

}} as well as the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay.{{cite web

| url = http://www.altfg.com/blog/awards/las-vegas-film-critics-awards-2009-989

| title = 2009 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

| date = January 2010

| publisher = altfg.com

| access-date = January 21, 2010

}}

Alan Edward Bell won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Editing,"[http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-critics-elsewhere-weigh-in-on-years-best-2009dec30-story.html Critics Elsewhere Weigh In On Years' Best]," Dec 30, 2009, San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved Dec 4, 2017 as well as the film being named one of the ten best movies of the year by the National Board of Review Awards 2009.

The film also received two nominations at the 67th Golden Globe Awards announced on December 15, 2009, for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and for Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy.{{cite web |date= January 17, 2010 |title= (500) Days of Summer |url= https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/500-days-summer |website= Golden Globes Awards |access-date= April 10, 2020 }} It has been nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards and won the award for Best Screenplay.

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120118023447/http://www.foxsearchlight.com/500daysofsummer/ Archived] of {{Official website}}
• {{IMDb title|1022603|500 Days of Summer}}
• {{Mojo title|500daysofsummer|500 Days of Summer}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|500_days_of_summer}}
• {{Metacritic film|500-days-of-summer}}

{{Marc Webb}}

Category:2009 films

Category:2009 directorial debut films

Category:2009 independent films

Category:2009 romantic comedy-drama films

Category:2000s American films

Category:2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:American coming-of-age comedy-drama films

Category:American films with live action and animation

Category:American independent films

Category:American nonlinear narrative films

Category:American romantic comedy-drama films

Category:Dune Entertainment films

Category:English-language independent films

Category:English-language romantic comedy-drama films

Category:Fiction about origami

Category:Fiction with unreliable narrators

Category:Films about depression

Category:Films directed by Marc Webb

Category:Films produced by Mason Novick

Category:Films scored by Mychael Danna

Category:Films scored by Rob Simonsen

Category:Films set in Los Angeles

Category:Films shot in Los Angeles

Category:Films with screenplays by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Category:Fox Searchlight Pictures films

Category:Satellite Award–winning films