(500) Days of Summer (Blu-ray)

(500) Days of Summer ( Blu-ray )

Romantic Comedies, how I loath thee.  It seems there are hundreds that come out every year and for the most part they aren’t much to write about, but this year we were given two this that really rise above the rest, Away We Go, and (500) Days of Summer, but these two films proved there is a way to bring something fresh and new to one of the most cliche and often frustrating genres.

When Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic, is blindsided after his girlfriend Summer (Zooey Deschanel) dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days “together” to try to figure out where things went wrong. His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life.  While it doesn’t sound like it stands out the strengths in (500) Days lie in the writing and the effort of first time director Marc Webb.  It’s easy to dismiss romantic comedies as having nothing new to offer, and most of the time that’s true, but (500) Days is definitely one of the best movies of the year.

If there is one thing that Fox does really well it is the technical aspects of their DVD/Blu-ray releases, and this film is no different.  The disc has a terrific 2.40:1 1080p HD transfer that really shows off the lovely and idealized look of Downtown Los Angeles.  The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track here is a great one. The dialogue and music are really well balanced, without one overwhelming the other.  The special features are really strong as well, you get an audio commentary, a bunch of deleted scenes, and whole lot of behind the scenes featurettes.

So if your in the mood for a great off-beat romance then (500) Days of Summer is a movie your going to enjoy, filled with fantastic acting and brilliant writing this is not only one of the best romantic comedies of all time but also one of the best movies of the year!