As a warning, I will be talking in-depth about the plot and events of the film, so if you haven't seen it, there will be spoilers a'plenty.
This isn't really a movie review, hence the word "analysis" in the title. So, don't go in expecting a 10-point scale rating or a certain number of stars. This is just my thoughts on the film, and trying to take a deeper look into it.
(500) Days of Summer was released in the fall of 2009. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From the Sun, 10 Things I Hate About You) and Zooey Deschanel (Yes Man, Elf) in a "romantic comedy"about love, loss, and growing up.
The reason I put "romantic comedy" in quotes is because, really, that's not what the movie's about. Like the first-time director, Marc Webb, said, it's more of a coming of age story. "It's about happiness, and learning that you'll find it within yourself, rather than in the big blue eyes of the girl in the cubicle down the hall."
The film starts off on what turns out to be the most important day for Tom (Gordon-Levitt), day 488, which is the last day he sees Summer (Deshanel) in the 500 days that mark their relationship (and possibly for good). It shows a brief glimpse of where the story's headed, without the audience realizing the significance of the shot. It then goes on to introduce to use the characters and their backstory. In the opening monologue, the narrator states, "this is not a love story." This kind of confuses us, because not only did we see these two people very happily sitting together, 488 days into their relationship, but in movies there's no such thing as a romantic comedy that doesn't have a happy ending.
After the lighthearted opening titles (which are set to images of the two as children), the very next scene is from day 290. This is the day that Summer and Tom broke up.
The placement of this scene might seem a little odd, but it's really a smart choice. Showing this scene so early on not only sets the tone for us, giving us a taste of where the story is headed, but it also tells us that, "Oh, the breakup happens a little over halfway through the movie. That means there's still over 200 days for them to fix it and get back together." This already--whether subconsciously or not--puts the idea in the back of our mind, because of the Hollywood conventions we're used to, that this movie really will have that happy ending.
The rest of the first act of the film goes on to set up the relationship between these two, who meet at work. Tom works at an L.A.-based greeting card company. He's worked there for about 4 years. Summer is the new assistant. But their relationship really starts one day when Tom is in the elevator listening to music on his headphones. Summer joins him and comments on the music (the Smiths), telling him she's also a fan. Tom's mind is blown.
They talk more at a work party, where Tom divulges that his true passion is to be an architect. At yet another work party, we learn of the two's views on love and relationships. Summer isn't interested, and would rather be independent. "I don't want to be anybody's girlfriend. I don't want to be anybody's anything." Tom asks her, what about falling in love, to which she just laughs. This little scene sets up the major conflict of the film.
As the two continue on their journey, first "just being friends", then an unexpected kiss in the copyroom, then quickly moving to holding hands in Ikea and consummating the relationship, Tom becomes more and more infatuated with Summer. She is the "perfect girl" through his eyes--which is exactly how we see her: through Tom's eyes.
The entire movie is really viewed through the lens of Tom's perspective. The jumping back and forth in time symbolizes Tom's memory of what happened. As the ending narration says, "Most days are not special. They begin and end with no lasting memories being formed." Which is why there are only a select number of days out of the 500 that are showcased here. These are the lasting memories. This is what Tom remembers. The best and the worst.
The flashbacks and forwards could easily be an unimportant gimmick, but I think the filmmakers really have a purpose here. The way that it will show a certain scene (like the Ikea scene) from near the end of their relationship, and show how distant the two are; then show the Ikea scene from just a couple days after they've been together, creates a very interesting and realistic effect. They taint the joyful scene we're about to watch by showing us basically the same scene with the same characters we love, but now we see the pain and heartbreak that goes along with real life relationships.
The whole movie is brilliant, and everything in it is put to good use. The side characters are all very well written and acted, and all the effects (of which there are a variety used) are all very purposeful.
My favorite scene from the film takes place well after their breakup, and is towards the end of the movie. After months of not seeing or talking to each other, Summer and Tom run into each other on the way to a mutual friend's wedding. They get to talking and dancing, and Summer invites Tom to a party she's hosting. He accepts.
For the party scene, the filmmakers decided to use a split-screen mechanic. On the left side shows Tom's expectations of what the party will be like. On the right side is the painful reality: the party is an engagement party for Summer. The scene is so heartbreakingly brilliant that it makes you feel Tom's pain. Watching what you want to happen, but right next to it watching the cold reality of relationships is such a startling thing to see in a film, much less a so-called "romcom". The writing, directing, acting, editing, etc. of that scene is so wonderful that, if you haven't seen the movie, it alone is worth watching it for (although the entire movie is great).
This is the point, right around the day 400 mark, where Tom really loses all hope. He's lost all faith in love. He lies in bed for days, only getting up to buy whiskey and Twinkies. When he finally shows up to work, he's late and obviously hungover. He explodes during a meeting, ranting on about how fake everything is, especially love. Then he quits his job.
But here's where he begins to make the turn-around. After hitting the lowest low, he tries to pick himself back up, deciding to become an architect. He starts to grow. He realizes that maybe, just maybe, he can still be happy.
It's a rough start for him, and he gets turned down pretty much everywhere he tries. But on day 488, he decides to take a stroll through his favorite spot in the city, one he shared with Summer earlier in the movie. Low and behold, Summer is there, waiting for him. This is the climax of the film. They’ve been apart for a long time, haven’t seen each other in months, all the while Tom has been beating himself up over this girl he loved who’s now married.
I have to give props to the cast and crew here, because this scene is no easy thing to pull off. But they do it wonderfully, and what could have easily been heavy-handed or cheesy, comes off as tense, but satisfying. Tom still can’t wrap his head around the situation. He loves this girl, she leaves him because she doesn’t believe in love; yet, just a few months later, she’s married. How does that work?
“I woke up one day, and I just knew,” she says.
“Knew what?”
“What I was never sure of with you.”
That small exchange is exactly what Tom needed to let go. To grow. To move on. He got the closure that, unfortunately, doesn’t happen as much in real life. He was finally able to close the book on the Summer phase of his life, and really dive into what he wanted to do. He could find happiness in other things rather than the arms of a dark-haired, blue-eyed girl.
It was good to see Tom really moving on with his life in the last scene with the job interview, and the clever little reference with the girl named Autumn, which tied things up nicely.
The film is definitely about love. But it’s also about loss. And dreams. And growing up. It’s even about memory, and how it can mislead us and cause problems for us, skewing our perception of something—or someone—and, in Tom’s case, because he just viewed Summer as this perfect girl, he missed the complexity and didn’t really understand her.
It’s a brilliantly delightful and poignant look at a situation that either all of us have gone through, or will have to go through, and makes for a fantastic film.
