500 Days of Summer [Sundance 09]

[Stefen]

People who have negative shit to say about this movie should not say anything at all unless they write something better. If its so bad and predictable it shouldn't be that hard to top.

Who the fuck wants to write something better about a movie they dislike?

[Kal]

Not about the movie, deepshit. I mean people criticize that is poorly writing or cliche but they should show how original and innovative they are if they want to criticize this.

Its like you following me around XIXAX. At least if you don't like what I say you should say something smarter 

[SiliasRuby]

Deepshit?

[The Perineum Falcon]

He's being original and innovative with the language, Silas, which gives him (and only him!) the right to speak, at all, about anything. =)

No, I admit, my brief response was, perhaps, inadequate and somewhat lacking in any way of important commentary.

And while I am interested in remedying this qualm, and justifying my take on the film (though I do not promise a success), I do not have a terrible amount of time at hand (I am, if you care to know, on my lunch break), though I will attempt to do so, albeit briefly (once again):

Despite the fact that I found the sister to be wholly unrealistic and annoying, and the main character to be a total DWV (and a bit thick), the one thing that the movie rested on, Summer, just didn't work and it ruined everything for me.
Here, cute, adorable Zooey is generically charming. Gone is that sparkle in the eye found in Weeds, All the Real Girls, Failure to Launch or even Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. And the film attempts to establish this undeniable "there's-just-something-about-mary!" charm economically, but it's just not sold to the audience (or, at least, to me and my friends).

And so all that followed just fell flat. Perhaps not all, for there were definite moments here that made me smile (expectation vs. reality, as mentioned before, and even the spontaneous dance number [though the blue bird was a bit much], even though I could just be biased toward Hall & Oates + that song), but it wasn't enough to redeem that hollow husk of romance displayed on screen.

Puppy love, we've all been there. And failed forever-promised-romances, we've been there, too and we've seen both developed so much more convincingly before than here. I wanted to like this movie, I wanted to love it, live it, but this was a Summer I could do without.

[Kal]

 

Thanks, that makes sense and I appreciate you taking time out of your lunch break to explain. Bon apetit!

[Gold Trumpet]

I think the reason I thoroughly liked and enjoyed this film is because it remained pleasant. The film kept its ambitions in check. There were doses of indie cool and emo drama, but the tone of the film is much more picturesque and easier to digest than the likes of Garden State. To like the latter, I felt, you had to buy into its revolutionary notions, meaning you had to think Zac Braff was as smart and deep as he thought he was.

I liked that 500 Days of Summer played with the time table of the relationship because it kept all the petty drama scenes to a minimum. It's apparent before the film starts that heartache is coming Joseph Gordon Levitt's way because he is an incurable optimist in the emo way. Some people like those characters, but I can't stand them. I identify with half of their actions, but once I realize a film is going to wholly dedicate itself to their drama and plight, I want to cringe because it seems all the film wants from the audience is identification. It wants the people who will just see themselves in those characters. Not my cup of tea.

What this film does for that insufferable character reminds me of what "When Harry Met Sally.." did for the romantic comedy character. It found a plot that would give their essential story, but package it in a way that has the short summed up version of their predictable events, but still make the plot interesting and fun enough that it keeps you emotionally invested in what happens to the characters. It's easy for anyone in an audience to want to root for love between a couple, but too many romantic comedies just play the same story straight like they were handling a drama and there was a lot to find in the content. But for romantic comedies, there usually aren't.

Is 500 Days of Summer more revealing than other comedies? I don't think so. Like all bad romantic comedies, it still says that independent characters are destined for Jane Austen endings, no matter what their intentions are. Zooey Deschanel's character fits in there. It has a slight nod to the fact that Joseph Gordon Levitt's character may be on a never ending journey through women, but I think the film believes in his final romance. The point of his story is that he needs to find a worthwhile ambition. He finally does in the end with recomitting himself to architecture. In doing so, he meets this new girl. He only finds her by finding his own way. The film ends with saying its now day 1 for him and her, but still, it was too optimistic to be a slam on his problems.

Still, a recommendation because of its pleasant nature.

[picolas]

the ending is not saying he's doomed to repeat things at all. rather than waiting to tell the girl he likes her he comes out and says it, and then he treats the first rejection like it's nothing. he has clearly evolved.

i have three issues with this movie: the two best friends and the sister. all horribly written, piece of shit cliches that are only there to make levitt talk about things. aside from anything featuring them, i really really enjoyed this. it never stays in one place for too long. it's very playfully made. i loved the musical choreography and the split screens.. it's very well-acted on both ends. levitt never stops being interesting/in control. he needs to be in more. and it has a real sense of wisdom about it as far as 20something romcoms go. in a duel with garden state it easily wins. (and i liked garden state.)

[Pas]

Definitely gonna be in my year's top... and that ''expectation vs reality'' scene is instant classic.

I loved this but half as much as my gf did. Lots of great sex afterwards. All good, friends, all good.

[pete]

despite its annie hall-isms and science of sleep-isms (both are my favorites), the heart's in the right place and more young boys can benefit from the film's perspective.  I like that a lot.  expectation vs. reality was a beautiful sequence and the rest might not be as brilliant it definitely speaks for a whole world of boys who aspire to be that way. 
though I still can't stand the whole string of recent romantic comedies for young people where the quirky girl kisses first.  that's shameless fantasy.

[The Perineum Falcon]

A friend of mine told me about this article back when I was ranting and raving about this movie and all the problems I had with it; just remembered to share:

Nathan Rabin coined the phrase "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" to describe that bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that "exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures."

[pete]

I think that's a fun list.  and zooey daschanel is in THREE such movies this year (gigantic, yes man, and the movie in question).  lets make a list.  I think I first hated Eternal Sunshine (as well as the Korean movie My Sassy Girl) because of the girls - but in both movies they were fucked up girls pretending to be magical pixie whatever - but I think so was Penny Lane and Annie Hall.
the only magical boy I could think of is Peter Pan - anyone else?

still, I think the rule has to be that the girl makes out with the boy for no reason.  that's where I draw the line.  

[modage]

i actually thought garden state was better than this.  is that wrong?

You'd need a few really good reasons.

I rewatched this movie recently after it made all the year end lists and I'm sorta shocked that it did.  Watching it a 2nd time I realized that there are a few great sequences, (expectations/reality, hall&oats), but it's not a very good movie.  It's a chick flick for sensitive dudes, and not in a good way.  The same cliche's, cartoonish exaggeration, bad writing, just this time it was aimed at me!  I liked it in a way I should be ashamed of.  


Want to prove me wrong? Vote for (500) Days of Summer at The 2010 Xixax Awards!

[Pas]

"Hi, my name's Tom. What's yours?"
"Autumn." (smile)

yeah that whole scene is pretty fucking horrible. It almost manages to ruin the movie completely really. It's so bad... like bad student movie with amateur actors bad.

But I still loved it as a whole. Definitely bad acting by supporting characters, bad writing, uneven directing... BUT Zooey Deschannel and great music.

Definitely should win best soundtrack award XIXAX awards time!

[Gamblour.]

The more I've thought about this movie, the more I've grown to hate it more and more. What Pas Rap says is spot on, but the thing that keeps the movie together is how consistent it is. It's consistently lame/sappy/whiny while trying to be witty/hip/innovative. I can vividly imagine the guys writing this script, spit-balling ideas and being thoroughly pleased with themselves with what they came up with, but that's sort of what makes it bad -- that smug look-at-me-ness where usurping a convention is mostly done for the sake of it. Plus, a greeting card writer? I can see that coming straight out of a Syd Field exercise.

[pete]

you guys take so much offense to its hipness.  can't one just be unaffected?