So it doesn't mean 500 days of actual summertime?

No, it doesn't, but that didn't mean that "(500) Days of Summer" was any less fun (and poignant) than a memorable summer day (is that too cheesy? Because I don't think this movie is). Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt bring great chemistry to the screen in this pretty awesome screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. It starts out quirky and cute, and features the narration of a deep-voiced, wizened man introducing us to the main characters, Tom and Summer (of the title). Kind of like a good book does, it gives us some simple facts about each of them- what their backgrounds are, what they did as youngsters, even how tall and what size shoe Summer wears. It's an admirable change from the typical openers of many movies. It draws you in a bit more into caring about these characters, especially Tom. And though it should be noted that the movie jumps around through the 500 days of Tom and Summer's relationship, it doesn't leave the viewer feeling too jilted. In fact, in the same way someone might prep themselves for a first date by recalling past horrors and depression, this movies preps us for Summer and Tom's relationship by letting us know that all does not, in fact, end in roses.
One of the earliest scenes is that of Tom mechincally breaking dish after dish in his kitchen as his two buddies watch on. His precocious young sister is called in to help diffuse the situation, reminding him that he'll find other girls, that Summer wasn't perfect, that just because two people share a taste for the same quirky music doesn't mean they are soul mates. And just because we know that things may not end up the way Tom wants them doesn't mean watching Tom and Summer first get together isn't any less exciting. One of the best scenes is shot with old-school Hall & Oates blasting in the background, and it occurs just after Tom and Summer have had their first sexual encounter. What happens as Tom walks to work the next morning is both liberating and hilarious, and in lesser hands might have seemed corny, but with director Marc Webb, you want to jump right in and join the party.
The movie allows you to leave still hopeful that love that can last is out there, even if it doesn't work out for everyone. It's somewhat insipiring that a movie that shares an affinity for "The Graduate" and "The Seventh Seal" can still leave you hopeful that all that it takes to find the right one is reading a book in a deli and catching the eye of the stranger next to you.