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Scott Neustadter grew up in Margate watching films at local movie theaters and achieved a near impossible dream by landing a job in the entertainment business in Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, Neustadter, 31, who dreamed of writing movies, wasn't very good at working as an assistant in the TV field, first at CBS and second at DreamWorks.

"I was at a desk at CBS for six months. It was very bad," said Neustadter. "I was the most horrible assistant you could imagine. I was terrible at TV. Out of desperation, I showed people my material."

Fortunately, Neustadter showed more talent as a writer of movie screenplays. He'd been at it eight years when he finally scored a break.

Neustadter and his writing partner, Michael H. Weber, wrote the script for the film "(500) Days of Summer," which caused a sensation at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The film will open the Philadelphia Film Festival / CineFest '09 on Thursday.

"I saw the film at Sundance. It was a breath of fresh air, similar to 'Juno,' 'Napoleon Dynamite.' It was bubbly in spirit with great music and really charming, bright energetic performances," said Lewis Tice, curator with the Philadelphia Film Festival, who called the movie an anti-romantic comedy. "It's 500 days of a relationship and the ups and downs of it in a light and useful way. It's a real fresh look at a relationship."

"(500) Days of Summer" stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Deschanel plays a woman who doesn't believe true love exists. Gordon-Levitt portrays the young man who falls for her.

People who sit through this movie may not know the story is based on something that happened to Neustadter. He was writing about himself.

Neustadter had two relationships that lasted six months. The combination of these two relationships - a woman he dated while in London and another while he worked in Manhattan before moving to California - comprise the character of Summer, played by Deschanel.

"We (Neustadter and Weber) had always loved Woody Allen and Cameron Crowe and the movie 'The Graduate.' We always wanted to write one of those," said Neustadter, who came up with the idea of showing the 500 days out of sequence. "I fell pretty hard for these girls, and I don't think they fell back. You need to see the guy version of that movie."

A 1994 Atlantic City High School graduate, Neustadter wrote 75 percent of the script for "(500) Days of Summer" on the Rumson Avenue beach in Margate after coming back from London. He didn't show it to anyone for a very long time.

At the start of the film, viewers see a man and woman growing up on each side of the screen, and the voice-over says, "This kid from Margate."

That kid from Margate was the son of Michael and Anne Neustadter. Michael Neustadter remembers his son as a rabid reader, very inquisitive and able to take an idea in his head and transcribe it, even at age 9 when the family took plane flights to Florida.

Michael Neustadter didn't know how strongly his son felt for the woman he met in London until he read the movie script years later.

"You think you know your children," Michael Neustadter said. "He was in London for one of the relationships he was in. We didn't comprehend the depth and the magnitude of his feelings for this woman. I was surprised by what I didn't know and the depth of that relationship."

Scott Neustadter's father, mother and two sisters attended the world premiere of the movie in January at Sundance.

"It's gratifying when you have a child who is living his dream," the elder Neustadter said. "When the credits rolled and the lights came on, 1,300 people stood and applauded. It was a moment I don't think any of us will forget."

E-mail Vincent Jackson:

VJackson@pressofac.com

Film Festival

"(500) Days of Summer," the opening night movie of the Philadelphia Film Festival / CineFest '09, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St. Admission for the film only is $15 on the day of the show, cash only, and based on availability. For further festival information, call 267-765-9800, ext. 701, or visit www.phillycinefest.com

The movie opens in limited release on July 17.

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