By: Keaton Marcus

PREFACE:

Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer is a film that I only saw recently, before watching it multiple times in just the next couple of weeks. Although it has garnered some serious popularity, this romantic comedy has more or less been forgotten nowadays. Debates still mainly remain on whether Tom was the actual villain in the story all along, and viewers cheering for him is a perpetuation of toxicity in romance, but the fire has generally gone out. Above all, I genuinely think this is one of the most critical commentaries on love, consisting of relatable storytelling that I could easily relate and connect to. Its remarks on finding "the one" and questions of the reality in fate are surprisingly potent and complex, something one would not expect in a film that seems like your run-of-the-mill rom-com.

WHY LOVE?

So, love stories. They're one of the most popular elements used in the world of cinema, for better or for worse. Even if the film isn't specifically romantic, there's usually some love story sewn in between the lines of the story. Why is this? Eventually, many people experience a sudden feeling of joy and euphoria in their life, leading to the fact that this concept is almost universally personal. Audiences like to see people fall in love on-screen. It can bring them joy, sadness, relatability, or anything in between. It triggers a sensation ultimately that provides entertainment, similar to what a select group of viewers feels while watching heavy dramas or fun action adventures. Anyway, there has been a countless amount released. The majority of them are unfortunately trash, so narrowing it down, 500 Days of Summer is one of the only movies in the genre that I remember anything from. Memorability alone is a criminal understatement when talking about this movie. It crushed me with so many various, contrasting emotions that the whole experience was challenging to process. Positively and negatively, it's one of the most important movies to me, and I'll never forget my first watch.

TOM AND SUMMER:

500 Days of Summer is the story of Tom, who grew up as an average, or even below-average kid. His looks aren't extraordinary, and his social insecurities don't exactly make him stand out from the crowd. He isn't confident enough to be flirtatious or successful at dating in general, so he turned to romantic movies as faux comfort as a child. Summer, who's the actual love interest in the film, grew up disliking this concept. She never truly grasped the idea of discovering passionate romance with someone else. As I'm sure many readers can relate to, she was likely the type of person who couldn't care less about the schmaltzy, fake world of romantic comedies. This movie is an entire deconstruction of the cliches in a typical genre film, dismantling the normality in the general structure used in boy meets girl cinema.

"THE ONE"

For starters, let's take a glance at the mythical notion of finding "the one" briefly mentioned earlier. It argues that some time or another, you will find an ideal romantic match for yourself. Sounds fantastic, right? Not really. It's a pretty selfish and one-sided idea to shove into your head, putting an inhumane amount of pressure on the other person to conform to your desires. You are forcing someone else to fill your emotional void to satisfaction without much say on the other side of the relationship. This movie strikes down everything most of us thought about this scheme, and although painful, I was shocked by the sheer honesty of it all. Tom immediately decides that Summer is "the one" based on similarity in their respective tastes of music and movies. In retrospect, this sounds ridiculous, right? Because of some minuscule bond between them, he so quickly determines that she must be the only one for him. Tom's cynical yet logical little sister states it best. "Just because some cute girl likes the same bizarro crap you do...That doesn't make her your soulmate." Of course, already struck by the instant feeling of love, Tom brushes her statement off and continues his quest in an attempt to date Summer. Summer specifically lets Tom know near the beginning of their relationship that she doesn't want anything too serious, but they're meant to be, right? Tom has chosen, and that's what the film so smartly critiques.

SYMPATHY FOR TOM:

The fundamental aspect of questioning while watching this movie is the sheer sympathy we feel for Tom. It's become a decently popular opinion not to side with him due to further revelations about the film, but I honestly take a more neutral approach. I don't think either Tom or Summer should be considered the bad guy, even if his stance on love reeks of toxicity. I believe this because of this man's childhood. He grew up knowing very little affection, and the world of romantic comedies that he was sucked into almost brainwashed him. Sure, it filled the void of comfort he so desperately needed. Still, it also perpetuated the idea of "the one," which is so incredibly vital to shake out of your head while heading into romantic territory. Considering this observation, it isn't a bad thing to be empathetic towards Tom. We all have a fantasy of finding someone who flawlessly caters to our hopes and dreams, and it can be troubling to flush it out. Summer never necessarily wronged Tom, so why does he feel such betrayal? It all comes back to the fact that he had an inherent sense of immoral mentality, and when he finds that Summer doesn't want to be anything more than friends, it's an awful feeling. It isn't her fault; it isn't his. It's the world. The messages movies teach children growing up without any other education about romance, with this movie functioning as a searing tear-down of all this virulent inherency.

EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY

Likely one of my favorite cinematic moments of all time is the "reality vs. expectations" sequence near the film's end. Tom, who has already been dumped by Summer, is invited by her to a rooftop party. The screen splits as he walks up the stairs of her apartment. One side shows reality, or what's happening, and the other depicts his expectations or what he desires. Instantly, we can see significant contrasts in the two halves: the real one, harsher, and the expectations one, more magical and otherworldly. I would argue that the sequence is a brilliant dissertation on unrealistic expectations when it comes to love. We, as human beings, always want to predict something special will happen to take us out of the unfortunate mundanity in our lives, but it rarely comes true. That's what makes this scene so devastatingly true and pure. Reminiscing this movie now, I cannot stress enough how vital its messages are to living a good life. I'm self-aware that I sound like some incel who needs to touch a singular blade of grass, but this film is a free life coach.