My #4 movie takes a unique turn from the prototypical Hollywood-love angle and tackles the topic with a fresh blend of real-life.
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Geoffrey Arend
Plot: "An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her."
Stock: Holding
"You weren't wrong, Tom. You were just wrong about me."
I first watched 500 Days of Summer back in Madison, Wisconsin and immediately I knew I had just got done viewing one of my favorite films of all-time. It's funny, it's thought-provoking and it's real.
THE PLOT
500 Days of Summer features a narrator who occasionally interjects himself into the story. His first few sentences of the film sets up exactly what this movie is all about, so I'll allow him to summarize.
This is a story of boy meets girl. The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey, grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total mis-reading of the movie 'The Graduate'. The girl, Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parent's marriage she'd only love two things. The first was her long dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and not feel a thing. Tom meets Summer on January 8th. He knows almost immediately she is who he has been searching for. This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.
Tom falls for Summer and eventually they form a relationship. They have fun together, they enjoy each other, and they seem to be growing towards the future. But then Summer stops seeing Tom as a romantic interest and before you know it, Summer has dumped Tom and actually fallen in love with another guy. Tom's heartbroken and confused.
MY REACTION
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He was the lead actor in the film "10 Things I Hate About You." Kevin and I were in junior-high when it came out and we watched it at the theatre on a double-date. The next day at school we made a list (always making lists) titled, "10 Things We Hated About That Movie." Making a long story short, I've always resonated with JGL. He's close to my age, he kind of looks like me, and his movies tend to deal with the very same things I'm going through.
Having said that, I had high expectations for 500 Days of Summer. Needless to say, it delivered.
500 Days of Summer is different. It's original. It's fresh. It's real. It doesn't tell a fairy-tale and doesn't pretend to be something it's not. It's a film that provokes conversation, which is exactly what happened to after I watched it the first time.
I felt as if Summer played Tom and just carried him around until something better came along. The first time I watched it I found myself with a strong distaste for Summer. She told Tom time and time again that she didn't believe in love and that she didn't really want a boyfriend, and yet, she treated him like one. She told him things reserved for a boyfriend. She let him experience things that only a boyfriend would be allowed access to. Despite her best intentions, they were very much a couple.
I sided with Tom, JGL's character, throughout the entire movie. I am just like him when it comes to the belief of not being truly happy until he met "the one." I also empathize with Tom when his girlfriend breaks up with him, a move he did not see coming at all. Tom dealt with all the stages of an unexpected break-up: shock, grief, anger, sadness, depression, and eventually acceptance. Believe me, that last step is not an easy one to obtain.
I guess the main point I'm trying to get across is that this movie provides a great look into the modern relationship. It does so in a smart, funny, charming, and unique manner.
WHY TOP FIVE?
There's nothing not to like about 500 Days of Summer. It tells a great story but the way it skips back and forth within the 500 days makes the movie unpredictable. The cinematography is excellent as well as Marc Webb throws in a memorable dance sequence set to a classic Hall & Oates song. Webb also utilizes a terrific concept when he sets up a split-screen showing Tom's expectations of an event versus what actually happens. It's something that I do on a constant basis in my head and it was very cool to see it on screen.
It's also a movie, depending on when you watch it, will evoke different emotions. Obviously the first time I was angry with Summer. Other times I find that Tom treats Summer a little unfairly by setting unrealistic expectations of the "perfect" girl. But, I always smile, I always laugh, and I always end up thinking about different things. It's certainly a film Jimmy V would approve.
I hold this film very close to my heart and am quite proud that it resides in my top five.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
"People don't realize this, but loneliness is underrated." - Tom.
"The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch." - Author's Note.
"Look, I know you think she was the one, but I don't. Now, I think you're just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I, uh, I really think you should look again." - Rachel.
"Robin is better than the girl of my dreams. She's real." - Paul.
"You don't want to be named as anybody's girlfriend, and now you're someone's wife?" - Tom.
"Did you ever do this, you think back on all the times you've had with someone and you just replay it in your head over and over again and you look for those first signs of trouble?" - Tom.
"I love how she makes me feel, like anything's possible, or like life is worth it." - Tom.
"Tom walked to her apartment, intoxicated by the promise of the evening. He believed that this time his expectations would align with reality." - Narrator.
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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