500 Days of Radical Romance

500 Days of Summer isn't your traditional romantic comedy.  Yes, there is a boy and yes there is a girl.  Yes a boy meets a girl.  And yes boy falls in love with a girl.  But usually the typical formula of romantic comedy is based on the end result which the boy ends up with the girl.  As McDonald states in Romantic Comedy : Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre, "a romantic comedy...portrays this quest in a light-hearted way and almost always to a successful conclusion".  500 Days of Summer though doesn't have this typical formulaic ending.

This movie tackles a bunch of themes and mixes them in one 90 minute film.  Fate is a common theme.  The main character Tom (played by Joseph Gordon Levitt) ss a hopelessly romantic type of guy.  Ironically enough, his idea of romance comes purely from watching romantic comedies as a kid.  Tom's favorite movie is The Graduate and Tom feels the film represents what real love is. Summer (played by Zooey Deschannel) is the exact opposite and doesn't believe in fate.  She also doesn't believe in true love.

The idea of true love is ambigious and varies from person to person.  Tom is influenced by films which are fictional so his identity and persona follows that of a film.  He believes it is fate that brings him to Summer and that it is true love between them once they start dating.  Although they start dating, Summer makes it clear to Tom that she doesn't want an official boyfriend.  Basically she doesn't want to put a label on the relationship that they have.  In this sense, this portion of the film follows the typical Ideology stated by McDonald as that there is always a quest or a journey for the male character to win over the heart of the female.

As with all romantic comedies, the implication of sex is huge.  Although Summer doesn't want a traditional relationship with Tom, there is obvious sexual tension between them.  When the deed is finally done, Tom is on top of the world as it is shown in this over-the-top dance sequence that underscores Tom's feelings.



However, the way the movie progresses is what makes it truly radical.  The film parallels The Graduate in a scene, where Tom is set to win back Summer.  This is very similar to Dustin Hoffman's character crashing Katharine Ross' wedding.  They both go into the situation not knowing exactly what they are going to do and what to expect.  Unlike Benjamin Braddock though, Tom doesn't get the girl he wants.  But like Benjamin, he doesn't know what to do after it's all done.  Tom attends a party thrown by Summer but at the party finds out she is engaged and he leaves broken-hearted and destroyed.  At the end of the film, Tom realizes he can only be friends with Summer and finally accepts it.  At a job interview, Tom meets Autumn (ironic name) and gets her phone number.  This sets up with a vague open ending that once again parallels The Graduate.

Many people argue that romantic comedies are not a good representation of actual romance.  Well radical romantic comedies such as 500 Days of Summer is definitely accurate.  Heartbreak is a common occurrence and boy doesn't always get girl despite completing and fighting through the "journey".

Works Cited


"(500) Days of Summer
BrandonFibbs.com." Latest Movie Reviews by Brandon Fibbs. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. .

Barker, Chris. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage, 2008. Print.

"The Graduate - Film (Movie) Plot and Review - Publications." Film Reference. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. .

"The Graduate Overview." AllMovie. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. .

McDonald, Tamar Jeffers. Romantic Comedy: Boy Meets Girl Meets Genre. London: Wallflower, 2007. Print.