(500) Days of Summer

(500) Days of Summer is really a gem among the plethora of motion pictures. It is not just another love story, but a story about love. You see, if you are seeking a "boy-meets-girl-and-they-live-happily-ever-after" kind of production, you are really knocking on the wrong door. Cos in this show - boy meets girl, boy falls in love, but girl doesn't. She's not wierd. This movie just presents a slice of reality that we hardly see on screen.

The story centered on Tom, the writer at a greeting card company, who is dying to meet that "special someone" and spend the rest of his life with her. Yet he falls in love with Summer who does not believe in settling down and enjoying everlasting love.

The director cleverly shuffles through the 500 days of their relationship, capturing the good times they shared, and the fault lines that developed as Tom struggled with the ghosts of uncertainty. It boasts a witty script, a very interesting musical segment, and an emotional split-screen scene that transpired a man's best-case-scenario and his worst nightmare. The couple seems to be made for each other, but the fact is, they did not end up together.

When Summer met Tom a couple of months later at his favourite spot in the park, she was surprisingly married and contented, while Tom was still indignant and bitter. She has apparently taken a U-Turn and allowed somebody into her heart (*what a confused b*****), while he has channelled his negative energy into motivation in a new career (*like what most men will do after a painful breakup*). When Summer laid her hands on Tom's in the final scene, I dare to say that my heart really ached for him. It was the sense of extreme broken-ness and despair that only a guy can relate. In fact, I don't think I can even bring myself to meet/ talk to an ex.

By now you should have realised that this story is about the chief predicaments of post-modern dating – the "definition" dilemma. When one party wants to stamp a label (e.g. boyfriend/ girlfriend) on what they have got going, the other gets cold feet and slowly fades away. It's a challenge to carefully manage this expectation gap in the early stages of friendship to allow love to blossom. And I find this movie really stood out because it brought out the subtle innuendos in a relationship pretty well.

This show is made complete by the the pair of charismatic actors whom delivered a credible performance.

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His geeky image in the show was a hit with the ladies, including mine =_=" . But somehow, I prefer his gaunt and weathered image, and feel that he's still overshadowed by his stellar performance in Mysterious Skin.
• Zooey Deschanel. She may have very charming eyes and voice, but I seriously don't like that hair! It looks so 1980s and makes her look like Demi Moore... 10 years ago.. minus all the cosmetic job!