I’ve been telling myself for months to write this piece. I
just finished watching the film Ruby Sparks that inspired me to finally start
this endeavor. In some ways that film changed my thought process, but mostly
just reconfirmed what I’ve come to learn. Maturing is a strange thing. It seems
to change on a variety of preconceived notions. About a year ago I realized the
true meaning of 500 Days of Summer because of me growing up. I wrote a review
for the film some time ago and a lot of the points I brought up about the film
are still valid. It’s still very much a whimsical tale told through a unique
narrative. What changed is the paragraph I wrote about the story was sort of a
fantasy of mine. 500 Days of Summer isn’t a change of pace in romantic comedies
but a deconstrustruction of its very ideas (or at least partially). I still
identify with Tom as a character, but it took me a bit longer than him to come
up with the message that the film is trying to communicate. It is my intent to
explore this theme for both myself and those who have seen the film already.
As I said it’s film that is a deconstruction of a theater
troupe. Boy meets girl seems to be the classic pattern of nearly all romantic
comedies, 500 Days of Summer’s beginning seems like it will follow the typical
path. Yet the narrator mentions twice “this is not a love story”, a sign of
things to come. At first I thought this was just an attempt to revive the
genre. I thought the film was telling the story of idea of a soul mate with an
unconventional ending. That idea isn’t wrong, but yet I adored much of what Tom
believed in. He was looking for a soul mate but he already established what his
soul mate would be like. He was building himself up to be let down. I didn’t
see anything wrong with the idea of what a soul mate would be like. Yet Tom grew
up and I believe I have now. 500 Days of Summer may have joyous and lovely moments,
but it is truly more a sad movie than anything.
The audience learns of Tom’s hopes and dreams within the
first five minutes of the film. This is a normal practice, the genre of film
supports him, but the actual film wants to tear his world apart. I too misunderstood the meaning of The
Graduate at a young age. It’s not the story of finding your soul mate but
rather building a false image. The ending has Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross
sitting next to each other on a bus, now the can live their lives together supposedly.
Hoffman stares ahead with a stare that looks like realization. He has built up
this idea in his head of Ross’ character and now that he has her, what is he to
do? He ruined her life even. Tom misunderstands the ending that these two
lovers are free to be together. This experience and a large amount of sad British
music (namely The Smiths) gave Tom the idea that he will finally be fulfilled
when he finds his dream girl. So every day leading up into this he has been in
suspended animation. He’s never followed through on his goal of architecture,
instead wastes his life at a job that isn’t of his potential. Then Summer shows
up and he think he’s found the one. This inspires him to try at life again. He
has the talent but he’s been waiting for Summer to complete him.
Tom’s ideas of Summer are obsessive. The man has built up a
theory of what his dream girl would be like and now believes Summer is that
person. I like the scene where she tells Tom here weekend was “good” and he
believes she is slut because of it. He wants Summer to be a perfect girl. She replicates some practices Tom
believes in but not others. For a while things go fine. They have fun, share
secrets and find little things to love about each other. Of course as the
relationship progresses Tom becomes frustrated because she won’t conform to his
dream girl fantasies. There is nothing wrong with her.
Summer is fully realized character, an individual. One who thinks and bleeds on her on free will. She is
darling and loveable, so it’s easy to see why Tom would fall for her even if it
were not for their shared interests. From the start, alongside Tom, the film
shows just who Summer is as a person. She loves but is not one to settle down,
or at least not easily. This is the opposite of what Tom wants. She’s not an
idea of a person; she’s an individual just like every one else in the world.
People aren’t created to fulfill the dreams of others; we’re all just trying to
make the ride in this world easier.
They break up and Tom is of course miserable. Believing he
let the one he was supposed to be with slip away. Not understandable but he
latter believes he has a second chance. This leads to the expectation vs.
reality scene, which is heartbreaking. Here is Tom’s first sign that everything
he believes in is hopeless. His expectations for life will never be met, just
like 99% of the general public. However he’s so focused in this illusion of his
dream that it wasn’t until that day did he see how life really is. Tom is a man who’s just had his whole
life ripped apart.
So this comes back to this being really a sad movie over it
being a happy one. Believing
that his dream girl would solve all his life’s problems has stunted Tom. He
wouldn’t have to try until she came along because she would sort out his life
by inspiring him. Yet the whom he believed to be that girl is engaged to
somebody else. So only after some thinking does Tom realize his life is
“bullshit". So now does he continue
to believe a dream that almost certainly will never come true, or rebuild his
character and take responsibility. Taking charge of his life although admits
defeat, but with a chance of winning again. I had the same idea of Tom once or something close to it. It
hurts your life living in dreams and not reality. Either take charge or find
something else you love.
So some of this probably seems live the ranting of a madman.
Well it’s not far off; this isn’t a proper analysis but rather an admission of
shame. I wanted to finally say my thoughts of 500 Days of Summer as they stand now.
I’ll keep my old review up, as I said some of things I said are still true.
It’s just now when I watch the film instead of feeling bliss I feel melancholy.
At the end of the day 500 Days of Summer is truly phenomenal achievement about
love and maturing.
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