By Fatima Quadri
Staff Writer
There are lots of love stories we see on the big screen that can be viewed as modern day fairytales. These love stories are made up of dashing men, gorgeous women, over the top plot, and cute to the point that they’re nauseatingly sappy. Once the credits roll, such movies may have our romantic sides feeling a little happy and hopeful that maybe, just maybe, one day we can be like them as well…and then we return to reality. These love stories are not bad once in a while, but do you wish that you could see something a little more realistic? Something to which you can relate? Well, my friend, meet Tom and Summer.
The movie begins with a warning from the narrator that states, “This is a story of a boy meets girl, but this is not a love story.” The boy is Tom Hansen (played by the adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt). He is an average guy who writes greeting cards for a living in Los Angeles. His best friends are: McKenzie (Geoffrey Arend), Paul (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Rachel, his little sister/part- time therapist (Chloe Grace Moretz). He’s also a die-hard romantic, a believer of soulmates, destiny, fate, and love at first sight. The girl he meets is Summer Finn (played by the equally charming Zooey Deschanel). She is an average girl who works as the assistant of Tom’s boss. Summer is anything but an over the top romantic; love may as well be a fantasy to her. There is obvious attraction when they first meet, but Tom instantly falls head over heels in love with her. The story is not told chronologically but instead in fragments of 500 days. The film does not begin with a lovey-dovey meeting between the two characters. Rather, one is greeted by the effects of a breakup with Summer on a depressed yet “determined to get her back” Tom. And oddly from here, and despite the warning at the film’s opening, one goes on a simple and lovely ride through Tom and Summer’s 500 days together.
Not everyone, especially at our age, has experienced something like “boy meet girl… they fall in love…they live happily ever after” (but just in case you have, kudos to you). Most of us have experienced something like “boy meets girl…everything’s great for awhile… it’s not so great anymore… the end…and now what?” This movie is a great break from mainstream romantic comedies that focus on sex, weddings or overall ridiculous plots that are clearly impractical. The story is simple and a healthy mix of bitter and sweet. It’s definitely not nauseatingly sappy. The fragmented depiction of the story is outstanding, and director Marc Webb puts a twist on some of the scenes. For anyone who loves musicals, he uses his skills from directing music videos to add an amusing touch on Tom’s happiness the morning after his first night with Summer. Personally, my favorite scene, although full of emotion, was depicted in a brilliant manner: a split screen where one side represents “expectations” and the other, “reality”.
Of course, it’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel who steal the show as their respective characters. Despite the fact that “this is not a love story,” and Tom and Summer seem to be polar opposites on the romance spectrum, their chemistry is intense, even in the most subtle of moments. The main characters do not have extravagant lives or extraordinary personalities. They’re average people who may remind you of a friend, a relative, an ex or even yourself. Perhaps that is why they are so captivating, especially Tom. Even if you’ve never been a die-hard, completely smitten with love, kind of romantic lunatic, you know someone who has been or still is.
The simplicity of the movie, the characters, their admiration for each other, and a pretty wicked soundtrack all bring out the magic of a simple "500 Days of Summer".
"500 Days of Summer" just finished screening at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. The DVD is up for pre-order now.
This article is © 2008 The Bi-College News. The material on this page is free for personal or educational use, but may not be reproduced, reprinted, republished, redistributed, or otherwise transmitted to a third party without the express written permission of The Bi-College News, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041.
Editor's note: Articles that appear in the Last Word section are works of satire.
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