One of my favorite movies is “500 Days of Summer”. Everyone has a love hate relationship with this movie. I love it because the actors are so real. So while there aren’t a lot of dramatic effects or really any effects at all the story is moving. This is my go to movie whenever I am feeling down and need to lament in someone else’s pain.
We start out meeting a man named Tom, the narrator introduces us to a woman named Summer and tells us “while this is a story about love, this isn’t a love story.” The movie is told in a series of flashbacks, the movie will show us the 322nd day that Tom and Summer know each other and then go back to the 18th day that they knew each other. Tom is instantly infatuated with Summer, thinking of her always. Summer is described as a “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” stock character that shows up in a lot of indie films. Tom sees Summer as perfect and thinks they are in a relationship while Summer has never been comfortable with the idea.
Then, she rips his heart out and stomps on it. The moving response that this movie makes is everyone experiences heartbreak, it is real and sometimes there isn’t a happy ending. In so many romcoms or big romantic movies the girl is always the one heartbroken and upset, but in the end the guy always realizes what he gave up and comes running back for her. That doesn’t happen in “500 Days of Summer”. Summer moves on and gets married. The shock of Summer not coming back to him leaves Tom a wreck, he begins to reinvent himself by leaving his dead end job and looking for an architecture internship. And there is where he meets Autumn and day count starts over again.
When Tom gets his heartbroken it’s impossible not to feel it. If you don’t get emotional when he sees Summer at the party showing off her engagement ring you have no soul. None.
This movie has been criticized by many people, my boyfriend particularly. He hates this movie. He thinks Summer is to put it nicely, is a bitch. But he still ignores my argument that if the roles were reversed and it was Summer who was in Tom’s position the movie wouldn’t work. We just have to agree to disagree.
Oh! Here’s a Wiki link about Manic Pixie Dream Girls. It’s really interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl
The Official Blog of WRTG 3007, Summer 2012 
I have never seen or even heard of this movie, but it sounds very interesting! I love the symbolism you describe about Summer. Tom’s relationship with summer reminds me of the relationship I feel with summer every year, and how I am always so sad to see it go. This was a great name to choose for this character, or at least it sounds like it from the story line you described. I really need to see this movie now! I could see my boyfriend having the same reaction to this movie. I just don’t think he “gets it” if only love and no action scenes are involved…must be a guy thing.
This is such a good post! I too really like this movie, and one reason for that is simply I’m a sucker for anything in which the two actors star. There is just something incredibly quirky, and therefore adorable and enticing about Zooey Deschanel, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt seems like the nicest person you’ve never met.
I sometimes have a love-hate relationship with flashback films. I can’t always decide if that ruins the tone of a film or if it adds more knowing that characters’ lives continue through the good and bad vignettes. A particularly memorable moment is the dancing. This could have been incredibly cheesy, but it works really well in this movie.
This film is a definite new version of the typical romcom, and I think more need to be made just like it. Thanks for the post!
I have always heard of this movie but never actually saw it. I think I would really like this movie, I love movie’s about love and relationships…then again what girl does not. From what you said it seems like this movie really allows the viewer time to reflect on there own relationships and heartbreaks. Simple chick flick drama’s like these can really help with our own problems, we are not alone. I also liked how you put your boyfriends commentary into it, its always interesting to hear guys points of views on movies like these!
The first time I saw this movie, I have to admit I hated it. I think it was because I was going through a break up at the time, because when I watched it a year later, I realized how beautiful it is. This film is real. I hate when I see a romantic film that always has the same exact ending. The girl gets her heart broken and the guy realizes he screwed up and comes back to her and they live happily ever after. Although this makes most people feel good at the end of the movie, it is not a reflection of reality. Heartbreak happens to everyone at least once in their lifetime. This film shows exactly what so many people have gone through, and does it in such a realistic way. Some people would argue that this movie does not have a happy ending, but after re-watching it, I think it does. Although Tom and Summer did not work out, Summer moves on to someone else who she may be even happier with. It is very rare that you marry the first person you ever date, and maybe this new guy is Summer’s soulmate, which makes this a happy movie after all! Thanks for writing about this, it reminded that I want to watch this movie again!