Cody - (500)
Days of Summer stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom, a greeting card writer
who becomes infatuated with a fellow coworker Summer, played by ZooeyDeschanel. This film charts the 500 days of their relationship from Tom’s
perspective.
Ellie - On a whole, I enjoyed this movie for its
story telling, if not for the story itself. It has many of the pieces that
constitute a traditional romantic film such as boy meets girl, boy falls for
girl, boy loses girl, however, unlike a traditional romance- boy does not win
girl back. There are also some very traditional fairy tale elements included in
the film; the search for his one true love, a spontaneous dance sequence, the
animated bird, and even the wise sounding omnipotent narrator, all to add
further contrast to the fact that this is not a traditional romance.
Cody – This film really did an excellent job in
breaking the format of the typical romantic comedy. . This film breaks the
trend by communicating early on how it will end; there will only be 500
days of Summer, with no fairy-tale ending. Rather than following the typical romantic
comedy blueprint, this film simply tells a coming of age story from Tom’s point
of view. While the movie focuses on his
romantic endeavours, its goal is to showcase a pivotal period in the life of
Tom, and how he copes with it. It is much more of a coming-of-age story than it is a romance. (500) Days
of Summer also does a terrific job communicating the story non-linearly.
The plot takes place over a 500 day span, during which many different events
take place, and many diverse emotions are felt by Tom. This film excels in
transitioning between the high and low points of this period in Tom’s life, and
the scene arrangement helps to gauge the relationship between Tom and Summer.
Ellie - It really can be tricky to tell a
non-linear story, but (500) Days of
Summer manages pull it off while adding even more depth to the narrative. I
particularly loved the shot of expectation vs. reality. Both are individually
beautiful but played out side by side they are wonderful. The shot of
expectation played out the way a standard romance might have, while the shot of
reality showed exactly that- reality. It illustrated what would most likely
have occurred if this were a relationship in real life.
Cody - This movie does a great job in showcasing
that a relationship is not a constant; it is constantly evolving and changing,
and can be drastically altered in a short period of time. While many elements
of the film worked well, I feel that the film failed in expanding the character
of Summer. Tom is the main character of the film, and rightfully so dominates
the screen in terms of dissecting his character’s backgrounds and motivation.
However, it fails to truly explain who Summer is as a person. We learn about
Tom’s family and friends, his ambition to become an architect, and his
favourite spot in the world. But Summer is never truly fleshed out as a
character – she is simply a symbol for Tom’s desire to achieve happiness.
Ellie - Tom and Summer both had their moments, but
I did not particularly enjoy this movie for more than the cinematography. I
found Tom’s all‑consuming interest in Summer to be a turn off. He was building
his world around Summer and expected her to fall into place within it. I am a
sucker for a good romance, but Tom’s attentions for Summer left me feeling
flat. I felt that he was more concerned with how he felt about Summer than
learning how she felt towards him. Yes, he wanted her to love him back, but
only because he deserved her love in return for how much he loved her. Ultimately this film offers a new look at a
love story, but fails to truly garner support from this viewer with its lack of
honest affection.
Our Ratings:
Cody – 7/10
Ellie – 6/10
