It’s been almost seven years since 500 Days of Summer was released. Every year since that release date
I’ve watched the movie at least once. I’m still convinced that the film is one
of the masterpieces of the millennium and manages to be overcome of the most
difficult challenges of any film (or artwork). Namely, the film is both popular
and appealing to a wide audience without seeming formless or pandering. Too
often films that are made for everyone end up being films for no one. This isn’t
the case in 500 Days of Summer.
Only in hindsight have I realized it’s a film for
everyone. When I’d first watched it, it seemed quite straightforward. Tom was
good and hopeful and Summer was evil. This is the kind of analysis I was able
to do at 20. And of course, completely lacking the grounding to realize there’s
another perspective to the film, I was convinced the narrative I’d seen was
right. Much like in Love in the Time of
Cholera (another favourite of my teenage self) I’d missed entire worlds of
layers under the obvious story.
But Love in the
Time of Cholera is still a literary masterpiece and 500 Days of Summer is still an amazing film, despite the changes in
my perspective. I’d even say because of the changes in my perspective.
There are only two reasons to watch a film multiple
times. The first is because the film is predictable and the familiarity of
knowing what to expect never becomes dated or dull. No matter how many times I watch
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, I
never tire of the Mexican standoff scene even though the initial tension of
wondering who will shoot first is long gone.
The second reason is because every time a film is watched
there is something new that’s noticed. Maybe not in the film itself but just
the act of watching the film brings to mind history and nostalgia which one
compares the future against. Perhaps the dialogue of the film speaks philosophically
enough to bring up both familiarity with the character’s ideas and self-reflection
(in this sense Before Sunset is the
most Proustian of films).
500
Days of Summer obviously lies in the second category. As I’ve
said before, I identified heavily with Tom when I first saw the film. Tom was
the man that many thought they were and went through an experience that many
have thought to be the defining moment of their mental development.
In the simple version, Tom thinks he’s a good guy and
believes that by virtue of being a good guy things should go in his favour. He’s
almost wholly ignorant of what Summer says she wants because they don’t match
up with his ideas of a relationship and his ideas of a relationship are
obviously what everyone should want. By not appreciating Tom, Summer represents
evil and (almost) breaks his hope in romance leaving him bitter.
In this reading of the film, Tom is always right and
Summer is always wrong. I didn’t realize Tom might have not been 100% right on
everything until about 2012.
The reality is (unless I watch this again in 2022 and
decide again) is that Tom makes errors because he doesn’t live in reality.
Summer is a real person but Tom’s Summer exists in his head. In the entire
film, it’s Tom’s early-teenage sister who is the most logical. The entire film
is drenched in quality quotes but one that really sticks is “Just because she
likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate.”
There are other things that make the film amazing other
than the script and storyline. The soundtrack definitely plays a huge part and
the non-linear storyline definitely is critical to the success of the script.
The acting is, of course, of the highest quality and I think quite a lot of
people would love more collaborations between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zoeey
Deschanel. There's gorgeous set pieces such as the musical scene and especially the "Reality and Expectations" scene. But I’m sticking to the storyline for why this film is underrated.
One of the reasons this film can be for everyone is that
we’ve all been there. Maybe I didn’t understand the errors Tom was making but I’d
been Tom. Almost everyone has been Tom at some point and most people have
played the Summer role. Because many relationships fail due to the balancing act
of one person wanting more than the other is willing to give, pretty much
everyone can relate to Tom wanting a “real” relationship and equally relate to
Summer not wanting to be too serious.
I think at some point everyone would quote Summer in “I,
like being on my own. I think relationships are messy and people’s feelings get
hurt. Who needs it? We’re young, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in
the world; might as well have fun while we can and, save the serious stuff for
later.” But also at different times it’s equally likely “I love how she
makes me feel, like anything's possible, or like life is worth it.” As said
by Tom is more accurate to describe life.
And that’s what the movie does perfectly. It achieves balance.
It tells the story of the relationship from start to end, with flashbacks
giving perspectives. It doesn’t force a romantic story onto the viewer but
neither does it drown the film in depression and easy clichés. The abandonment of
clichés is difficult to find in romance films. Almost impossible, really. Most
people love romance films for familiarity but the breath of fresh air from
something really different can sometimes be far more memorable than the
familiar.
In closing, my favourite quote from the film is:
“Isn't that sweet? Ain't love grand? This is exactly what
I'm talking about. What does that even mean, love? Do you know? Do you?
Anybody? If somebody gave me this card Mr. Vance, I'd eat it. It's these cards,
and the movies and the pop songs, they're to blame for all the lies and the
heartache, everything. We're responsible. I'M responsible. I think we do a bad
thing here. People should be able to say how they feel, how they really feel,
not ya know, some words that some stranger put in their mouth. Words like love,
that don't mean anything. Sorry, I'm sorry, I um, I quit. There's enough
bullshit in the world without my help.”
Final point- I hate the final scene with Autumn because it makes it seem like Tom's learnt nothing. Ideally he'd have realized by the end that no other person can give your life meaning.
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