(500) Days of Summer

The tagline for this movie is: Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't....but WE had so much FUN! The first frame of the film is clever, by the third frame we laughed out loud. The 2009 Seattle International Film Festival crowd just leaned back, relaxed, and had a blast!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("The Lookout" and "Third Rock From the Sun") is a gifted young greeting-card writer whose glass is perpetually half empty. The fact that he had intended to be an architect might have something to do with it, but he IS pretty good at those greeting cards. He's a romantic from the get-go and KNOWS he must find The One to experience True Love.

The company hires a new gal and our hero's new life begins - Day 1. Oh, by the way, her name is Summer. "500 Days of Summer"...get it? Zooey Deschanel ("Gigantic" and "Yes Man") is our eponymous gal. She is the only actress I can think of who can wear a blue bow in her hair and NOT be ironic! Summer has refused to believe in True Love ever since her parents' divorce.

Each episode of their relationship begins with a frame that informs us what day it is. This clever device helps us know where we are because it tells us if we are viewing Day 12, Day 72, or Day 400.

We skip around in time but it isn't disorienting. There are many, many laugh-out-loud moments and some that are pure whimsy and fantasy (like his song and dance in the street the morning after their first sexual encounter). In my opinion, Ikea did brilliant product placement, as our young lovers "play house" in their store. Both of these actors are con- vincing and relatable, so we have that vital ingredient: people to root for!

In the final scenes, enjoy the Bradbury Building (prime location for "Blade Runner"), a classic (1893) architectural treasure located in the heart of old Los Angeles. I love that building and I was doing handstands when I realized where we were!

No sweaty bodies, no gunshots, no car chases, no blowie uppie stuff; instead, we had a charming, enjoyable, upbeat experience.