In my last semester of college, I completed a writing portfolio entitled "Exploring Modern American Culture through Contemporary Cinema." It contained four essays dissecting four recent films. The second of those essays discussed Marc Webb's 2009 romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer. The second part of that essay is below. I will post a new portfolio excerpt every day. Previous posts: The Dark Knight - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four; (500) Days of Summer - Part One.
(500) Days of Summer: The Anti-Romantic Comedy
Going
Against the Cinematic Grain
The film’s very premise is subversive because it is told from a
male’s perspective. This is part of a modern trend in Hollywood of making
male-led rom-coms. It joins a moderately-sized group of films that includes
such hits as Knocked Up (2007), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), and Hitch (2005). But even within this
group, (500) Days of Summer stands
out due to its treatment of its protagonist and his views. Tom Hansen is
undeniably the film’s chief romantic idealist. He believes in falling in love
fast and hard. In many films, this view is championed, but here Tom is not
rewarded for his beliefs. On the contrary, Tom comes across as likeable but
foolish. This can be seen in an early scene where he and Summer stand next to
each other in an elevator at work. Tom is wearing headphones, listening to the
‘80s song “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths. His music is
faintly audible; Summer hears it and leans over to say “I love The Smiths.” And
just like that, Tom is smitten. He loves how much he and Summer have in common,
but it is like his younger sister tells him: “Just because some cute girl likes
the same bizarro crap you do, doesn't make her your soul mate” (Webb). Despite
the many superficial similarities Tom and Summer share, they have significant
differences, particularly when it comes to their views of love.
The elevator scene is one of many that demonstrates Tom’s shallow
and romanticized outlook on love. He is optimistic to a fault, which the film
credits to a misinterpretation of The
Graduate at a young age. He interprets the melancholic ending of that movie
as a happy one promoting true love. Consequently, he believes his life will not
be complete until he meets “the one” (Webb). When he meets Summer, he thinks he
has found that one. Summer, on the other hand, tries to be realistic, though
her views often seem extreme. She does not believe love exists, thinking it as
imaginary as Santa Claus. This is attributed to her parents getting divorced
during her adolescence. In real life, it would be expected that such a couple
would be destined for difficult times, and perhaps even an unhappy ending. In
the movies, that resolution would never be anticipated. Romantic comedy couples
end up together. Period. That is what audiences expect and want, apparently: on
the list of the highest-grossing romantic comedies in the U.S., only two of the
top twenty-five – 2006’s The Breakup
and 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding –
end with the core couple’s separation (Romantic Comedy Movies at the Box
Office). Following these film’s examples, (500)
Days of Summer’s Tom and Summer never reconcile. The fact that their
differing ideas about love kept them from having a successful relationship
indicates not only a lack of compatibility, but also the significance of these
ideals. The filmmakers seem to be saying overt idealism and cynicism can
interfere with one’s happiness. In this way, (500) Days of Summer is less about being an escapist piece of
entertainment focused on the fictional attainment of true love and more about
critiquing certain detrimental viewpoints in the context of a romantic
relationship.
Sources
"Romantic Comedy Movies at the Box Office." Box Office Mojo. IMDb, n.d. Web. 17 Oct 2013. .
No comments:
Post a Comment