I’ve talked in previous posts about my favorite movie moments, two in particular being the final scenes from Juno and The Graduate. While both end with “boy gets girl,” I talked about how Juno’s ending was full of promise and hope for love after the fact, and The Graduate ends wth a feeling of regret and fear of a life built out of bad choices. When Tom and Summer go to the movies and you see that they’re watching The Graduate, well, it made me smile. I know I’m not the first person to bring up the end of that film, it’s one of the most iconic shots in cinema, but it was nice to see it referenced in a movie that is, essentially, for the Juno generation. It’s nice to know that there are still filmmakers out there who get it.
Actually, that wasn’t the only time I caught myself smiling during (500) Days of Summer. And, I say “caught myself,” because, well, this is a movie that tells you upfront, the boy does NOT get the girl. I was pretty sure that, as the credits rolled, I was going to be an emotional wreck, having just spent two hours reiniscing about my own previous relationships, something that cannot be helped while watching, I assure you. Instead, I spent most of the film with a really stupid grin on my face.
I think the most interesting aspect of the movie is probably the one-sided-ness of it all. Unlike alot of “love” stories, we only ever see Tom’s side of the relationship. Unfortunately that makes Summer a very one-note character, but I can’t help but think that’s intentional.
Played by Zooey Deschanel, Summer is the definition of “manic pixie dreamgirl,” a part that Deschanel is often saddled with. In the movie she’s either the dream girl or a narcissistic nightmare, depending on where we’re at in the realationship (okay, so, I guess she’s a two-note character). But, as I said, the entire film is from Tom’s point of view, a point that gets hit home during a scene between Levitt (who plays Tom) and a blind date.
I once read a review of an AC/DC album that simply said: “Five great guys, three great chords.” That’s exactly what this movie is like. It hits every beat you would find in your typical romantic comedy, but it hits them so well that you forget that there’s anything typical about it.
