Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 08/31/2009
(500) Days of Summer is revenge disguised as a cute, indie movie
I enjoyed (500) Days of Summer. It had its moments despite the fact that the entire film was essentially an extended explanation for the writer’s hatred of one woman, because she was crazy enough not to feel the same way about him as he did about her. Yes – a woman who makes herself clear in that she has no intention of making a relationship serious and doesn’t want to use labels is made out to be a bitch, because she resists the guy forcing these things on her. Which is really just lovely when you think about it.
Interestingly enough when I talked to my friends about how I thought the movie had some underlying girl hate, they all countered that it was feminist in that for once the guy was the one who was dumped, needy and pathetic. Which I guess you don’t see that often, and that role reversal is nice in that we see guys do have feelings (…what? they do?). But still. I felt like that hatred really overrides the fact that he was a “vulnerable” guy.
Either way, reading this post on the Daily Mail by Scott Neustadter, the writer of (500) Days of Summer basically just confirmed my feelings about the movie. Essentially, he admits that the movie is more or less a play by play of one of his relationships that left him destroyed. As Hortense over at Jezebel so aptly puts it,
“Ugh. Dude, we know. You, like every other dude who has written the tale of a guy who ‘finds himself” through an empty shell of a character, is totally better off now that the pretty lady has broken your heart and improved your record collection. The smugness of the article is irritating: one expects him to shout out a band and put on twee dance number as he reminisces about his failed relationship and the success he gained from it.”
But he also admits that the real Summer didn’t even recognize herself as the character Summer. Hmm. It’s funny how rejection and animosity can form a different picture of someone in your mind. And apparently can also inspire you to write a movie about it! Just another underdeveloped female character who sparks the ever-important male character on his journey. Huzzah.
On a separate note this Funny or Die video really made me think of (500) Days of Summer in that the music was probably the highlight of the movie, and that was probably intentional.
Also, why are we still calling movies that make about three million dollars in it’s first 10 days “indie” when they are clearly just as corporate as anything else coming through? Just saying.
(6 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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Joshua @ at 12:40 pm, August 31st, 2009
There’s a reason I don’t watch romantic comedies apart from Shaun of the Dead and The Truth About Cats & Dogs. It’s not because I’m a guy, it’s because I see the ridiculous Manic Pixie Dream Girl fantasy for what it is. It’s no fun watching a “love” story that’s only interested in one half of the couple and relegates the other half to a cardboard cut-out who only exists to fulfill the fantasies of some lonely, listless loser.
It’s exactly the same as the ditzy cheerleader porn fantasy, just with different costumes and soundtrack.
Kaite @ at 12:51 pm, August 31st, 2009
Ugh, it’s so true. I wrote a blog post for UK website The F Word on the same topic – http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2009/08/guest_post_95_m.
It alarms me how many women are quick to identify themselves with Summer as well.
K8 AH @ at 2:52 pm, August 31st, 2009
Have not seen it but totally get the idea… I didn’t see what the big deal was about Garden State either?! I saw that My Mother’s Red Hat on Girl Drive yesterday and was LMAO! Love it!
Zoe @ at 4:49 pm, August 31st, 2009
I really loved 500 Days of Summer. I won’t lie about that. It was seriously adorable and as me and my friend put it, a movie about “life.” The relationship started, hit it’s peak, crashed and burned and then everyone moves on and realizes life keeps going.
I do agree that there were parts that were seriously strange. Like at the beginning when Summer was referred to as a bitch or a slut because she didn’t catch on to Tom’s “obvious” flirtation. In a guy’s head, it’s never that the girl is simply not interested, she’s just plain evil. Also, Tom seemed obsessive and somewhat misogynous.
The gender roles were certainly flipped, which was a positive aspect. Summer was the strong character who didn’t need commitment till she wanted it while Tom was desperately needy. Summer’s character overall was very strong and you couldn’t help but notice that, no matter how Tom portrayed her.
Despite some flaws, I love this movie and it’s going on the top of my list.
Lolita Hazed @ at 7:07 pm, August 31st, 2009
My Mother’s Red Hat FTW
positively present @ at 11:47 pm, August 31st, 2009
Your post really made me think. I saw this movie awhile ago and really enjoyed it, but, as a feminist, I’m appalled that I missed some pretty important aspects of the film that I don’t at all agree with. Thanks for bringing these ideas to my attention!
She’s Just Not That Into You « @ at 6:17 pm, September 11th, 2009
[...] the way – this lady nicely summed up the 500 DOS issue a little more succinctly than I [...]
Jane @ at 3:56 am, September 22nd, 2009
1. Summer isn’t “strong.” She’s damaged and clearly a commitment phobe.
2. “In a guy’s head, it’s never that the girl is simply not interested, she’s just plain evil.”
Grow a sense of humor. It was clearly a tongue and cheek scene. Tom was being an idiot and his friends ridiculed him for it. No one seriously thinks a girl is a “bitch” or “evil” because she fails to respond or notice a guy’s interest.
3. When a guy strings a woman along for sex and a few good times, he’s a douche bag but a lot of woman seem to think it’s cool when Summer does it cause it’s “role reversal.”
4. The screen writer is pretty up front about it being a story from a singular perspective.
Tim Brown @ at 5:06 pm, September 26th, 2009
I totally agree with Jane on her first point. The bitch line is uttered by Tom’s funny looking co-worker, Mackenzie, because she blows off some other guy chatting her up. However, she does not blow off Tom, but instead chases him. I don’t see this role reversal thing, women can be like this, pretending to be less interested in sex and romance than the man. Summer is indeed very damaged,and not “strong”, and that i think is the film’s point. She is far from being as casual as she pretends, and I think she harbours a lot of resentment towards Tom, shown by the closing scenes.
Quincy @ at 8:22 pm, October 5th, 2009
Hi, Can i take a one small photo from your blog? Thanks!
KS @ at 11:51 am, October 13th, 2009
I really liked this movie. Partially because we rarely see men genuinely mourning over a woman in films. I also liked that Summer was very articulate in how she felt. She also ends up in a marriage, which I liked, since there’s a stereotypical image that women who are strong will not get married.
If you’re looking for a great movie about marriage in terms of egalitarian relationship, Away We Go is the way to go.
HK @ at 12:36 am, September 20th, 2010
Yeah, she is very damaged… and passive aggressive. I dated somebody like this and here is the REAL outcome had, say, Tom met Autumn BEFORE Summer married a dude. So my ‘Summer’ strung me along for months, doing the exact same things (I don’t want a relationship, I just don’t see you like that… but let’s get a room in new york as a xmas gift to each other and go see a play!), being cagey about what she wanted, and instead of letting me be and leaving me the hell alone, she’d always creep back into my life while still in a weakened state. Which, to me, was like crack. And because we really weren’t a ‘couple’, I eventually said screw it and went and started dating other people like she had asked me to do many times. Lo and behold, I met the woman I’ve been married to for five years now. My ‘Summer’ pretended to be happy, they even met once, but then she did something that was the last straw… six months into my relationship, Summer, now officially my ‘friend’ told me to clear a week on my calendar to stay with her at her mom’s place in Florida. I said, “Are you crazy? Do you know how inappropriate that is? What do you think my girlfriend will say?” She goes, “Oh, well of course she’s invited too…” Long story short, that was total bullshit and she knew I caught her and called her out on it… this bitch saw that I was pulling away and fast, couldn’t handle it, and then tried to sabotage my relationship to get her ‘fun friend’ back. We talked a few more times and each time, she became more inappropriate, until i cut her off… she continued to call me once a month or so for a year, each leaving messages as though nothing had happened, like, “hey buddy, just wanted to see how you’re doing, call me!” Last I heard, she also met someone and is married, but the TOXIC aspect of someone like Summer is what some of you don’t seem to get. She’s ENTITLED… she’s BROKEN, as others have said, and she just wants what she wants, regardless of others feelings. When a man OR a woman does it, it’s shitty, and that’s life, but don’t act like this character was a healthy person mentally.