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(500) DAYS OF SUMMERMovie Reviews
Romantic comedy about a young couple's 500 day long love affair. Cast:Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Matthew Gray GublerDirector:Marc WebbRelease Date:July 17, 2009DVD Release:December 22, 2009From:Fox SearchlightRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 35 min
(500) Days of Summer played to very good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Desson Thomson wrote in the Washington Post, "Finally, a romance that understands we mark our lives by our scrapes with love, and our defeats, rather than simply white-wedding-cake success." • And Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "...a romantic comedy that makes the concept of romantic comedies appealing again..." More Reviews Below...
(500) Days of Summer Positive Reviews (42 Reviews, reviews below)
Leah Rozen, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "...playful film manages to be both charming and clever, though occasionally it strains a mite hard in its attempts to be fresh and with it."(See all of Leah Rozen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 115 words, 07/16/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...enchantingly original and romantic... like a mood ring cued to the ups, downs, and confusions of modern love.... not just bitter or sweet but everything in between."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 07/17/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's a tale you've heard a million times before. But it's told in such a relatable, inventive way, it almost feels like the first time."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 07/16/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a winsome, accessible movie... finds just the right scale and tone, neither trivializing nor melodramatically overstating the delicate feelings it explores."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,083 words, 07/17/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "In romance, we believe what we want to believe. That's the reason '500 Days of Summer' is so appealing.... a delightful comedy, alive with invention..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 860 words, 07/16/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "...a brilliant tap dance over a void: There's no real drama when the inner life of the female lead is so shrouded, even if that's the point."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 07/13/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...similar to most factory-made rom-coms... this isn't exactly Steven Soderbergh or Alejandro González Iñárritu territory here. It's more like a love story in a blender."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 222 words, 07/15/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...a pastiche of other, far better material. It's as though Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber fed every postmodern storytelling trick into a computer program..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 208 words, 07/16/09
KEY CITIES (17 Reviews)
Desson Thomson, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Finally, a romance that understands we mark our lives by our scrapes with love, and our defeats, rather than simply white-wedding-cake success."(See all of Desson Thomson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 723 words, 07/17/09
David Wiegand, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "By the time the afterglow of '(500) Days of Summer' evaporates, you may find yourself wondering how a movie that basically uses a gimmick as structure can work so well."(See all of David Wiegand's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 716 words, 07/24/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...capable of producing giddiness at one extreme, a punch to the gut at the other.... an unpredictable, immensely satisfying experience, much like love itself."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 585 words, 07/24/09
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an engagingly breezy tale about a guy with a broken heart and the girl who broke it.... Deschanel does what she does seemingly without effort..."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 07/24/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an 'Annie Hall' for the iPod generation: über-designed, pleasing to the touch, making up in generic sweetness what it lacks in bite."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 07/17/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...rejiggers chronology like a random shuffle through chapters on a DVD. It's not a gimmick, but a smart, emotionally truthful perspective on a familiar tale."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 07/24/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a love story, but an unexpected one, right down to the last word of the screenplay (which I wouldn't dream of spoiling for you). I fell in love with it, myself; you might, too."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 07/17/09
Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: MODERATE(cg) "By the 501st day, it's hard to muster much sympathy for either Tom or Summer. Thank goodness it's not called '(1,000) Days of Summer.' "(See all of Julie E. Washington's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 338 words, 07/24/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the film does a lovely job of balancing emotional clarity, formal trickery, pop sweetness, and heartfelt narrative."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 07/24/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...invites comparisons to 'The Graduate,' and director Marc Webb adds playful allusions to the French New Wave, Swedish existentialism and Disney musicals."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 07/24/09
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...breaks the romantic-comedy mold.... a joyous anatomy of a relationship that simply won't work.... isn't a love story, but it's an easy movie to love."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 07/30/09
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...funny and sad, giddy and melancholy, exhilarating and true.... a romantic comedy that makes the concept of romantic comedies appealing again..."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 07/31/09
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun: MODERATE(cg) "Only when you get home will you look back on fondness to the good parts, which occur when Tom is looking back on some of the good parts, too."(See all of Michael Sragow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 760 words, 07/24/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...similar to most factory-made rom-coms... this isn't exactly Steven Soderbergh or Alejandro González Iñárritu territory here. It's more like a love story in a blender."(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 222 words, 07/15/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The ending is tidy and way too cute, but '(500) Days' is otherwise a different kind of love story: an honest one that takes a piece out of you."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 304 words, 07/24/09
Shaula Clark, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...when the gimmicks work, it's fun. Still, the film's major flaw, Summer's flimsy character, ensures that its unexpected ending is less a haymaker than a sucker punch."(See all of Shaula Clark's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 07/16/09
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...a pastiche of other, far better material. It's as though Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber fed every postmodern storytelling trick into a computer program..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 208 words, 07/16/09
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: EXCELLENT "...for all its heartbreak, the film ends with a note of hope. Like Tom, you may be too ravaged to fully feel the potential joy of a fresh start -- but you'll certainly believe in it."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 07/16/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a winsome, accessible movie... finds just the right scale and tone, neither trivializing nor melodramatically overstating the delicate feelings it explores."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,083 words, 07/17/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "For all its ambitiousness, '(500) Days of Summer' feels synthetic and derivative, a movie that's popping with perceptions while searching for a style."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 07/17/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...a winsome, accessible movie... finds just the right scale and tone, neither trivializing nor melodramatically overstating the delicate feelings it explores."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,083 words, 07/17/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: WEAK "For all its ambitiousness, '(500) Days of Summer' feels synthetic and derivative, a movie that's popping with perceptions while searching for a style."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 07/17/09
22.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
(500) Days of Summer's reviews are separated by an average 22.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
(500) Days of Summer (42 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:(500) Days of Summer's reviews cover 84.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 22,539 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 537 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
(500) Days of Summer Coverage, Volume & Length (42 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 6.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
(500) Days of Summer's reviews on average broke 6.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is (500) Days of Summer's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
(500) Days of Summer (42 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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