(500) Days of SummerMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 76 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's a feat of star acting, and it helps make (500) Days not just bitter or sweet but everything in between. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Here is a rare movie that begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times |

    Something seldom seen: an original romantic comedy. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    A different kind of love story: an honest one that takes a piece out of you. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Much like Annie Hall did for a previous generation, (500) Days of Summer may be the movie that best captures a contemporary romantic sensibility. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The writing is often clever and the overall production playful and intelligent. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    An irresistible feel-good movie about love gone bad. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    And what makes this autopsy of a love affair funny is Tom's ironic, morose commentary as he revisits what happened. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Slight, charming and refreshingly candid little picture. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Boy gets girl and boy loses girl in convoluted, sometimes cloying but ultimately winning fashion in 500 Days of Summer. Read full review

View more reviews for (500) Days of Summer on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Smart, fresh romcom is best for older teens.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the content in this smart romantic dramedy is age-appropriate for teens and up, but its thoughtful exploration of relationships may speak more to those in college and older. It has a sweet-yet-realistic view of relationships that’s refreshing given the usual formulaic dreck in this genre. Do expect some frank talk about sex (as well as some kissing and an implied shower sex scene), drinking (sometimes to excess), and swearing (including one "f--k").
  • Families can talk about relationships. What makes them work or fail? How does the movie handle this topic? What makes Tom and Summer's relationship more realistic than other movie pairings?
  • Do Tom's career issues also seem realistic? Is his struggle typical of college grads these days? Why does he continue to write greeting cards when that’s not his calling?
  • How does the movie portray sex and drinking? What role do they play in the story and the characters' lives?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Love doesn't conquer all in this romantic dramedy, but no matter how complicated or troublesome, it’s portrayed as being absolutely necessary. It has the power to change and serves a source of wisdom. The movie also realistically shows that love alone isn't necessarily enough to keep a relationship going -- it’s only one of a number of elements that need to exist.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: In a pleasantly surprising role reversal from most romantic movies, the main male character is eager to embrace love in all its prickly splendor, and the woman is unafraid to question its necessity. And both characters are complex, rather than caricatures of their gender.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: Loud arguing among couples. Some plate-breaking. A man punches another at a bar.
  • sex false3 Sex: More talk than action -- there's some kissing and hugging, and one scene shows a couple supposedly trying to have sex in the shower (although all viewers see is rustling behind the shower curtain). There's also some frank discussion among friends about sex, including references to topics like hand jobs and anal sex. A young teenager counsels her older brother on how to navigate relationships.
  • language false3 Language: Fairly frequent use of words like “bitch,” “screw,” “skank,” and “s--t,” plus one instance of "f--k." Other words include "hell," "damn," "goddamn," "ass," etc.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Logos for Twinkies, Tennessee whisky, and AT&T.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking. A few characters (of legal drinking age) get quite drunk at a karaoke bar.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

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