500 Days of Summer

1240 Words3 Pages

"This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story" (Webb, 2009). Marc Webb's film (500) Days of Summer, is an unconventional unrequited story about love. Tom Hansen meets Summer Finn at work and instantly knows that she is the girl for him. He takes the viewers on a journey through the highs and lows of his continuously evolving relationship. Webb relies on editing, style, and image to draw viewer interest. Production techniques and narrative are used to portray thoughts, emotions, and motivations of the two characters. In (500) Days of Summer, content and form work together to create a conventional post-modernist and post-classical Hollywood style film.
The romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer can be viewed as a conventional post-classical Hollywood film based on its utilization of certain stylistic components. The film begins on day 488 as the audience is shown Summer wearing a wedding ring and smiling as she holds Tom's hand. Viewers are then taken to day 1 in which Tom meets Summer: "he knows almost immediately, she's who he's been searching for" (Webb, 2009). Due to the "break in continuity and flow of story information" the audience is fooled into thinking that things end happily even though the narrator warns them that this is not a love story (Cornell, Lecture #6). After the opening credits, Tom is shown breaking plates and though a flashback one sees that Summer breaks up with Tom. "Fragmented" narrative is also a characteristic of post-modernistic film (Grimshaw, 2013). This non-linear storyline continues throughout the entire film as the audience is shown which day of Tom and Summer's relationship they are viewing.
Due to the unusual back and fourth nature of the storytelling, t...

... middle of paper ...

.... The editing and narrative draws in audiences as the story of boy meets girl unfolds.

Works Cited

(500) Days of Summer. Dir. Marc Webb. Perf. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon- Levitt. 20 Century Fox, 2009.

Cartmell, Paul. "What Is Postmodern Film?" WiseGeek. Conjecture, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .

Cornell, Julian. "Lecture #6: New Hollywood & Post-Classical Cinema." PowerPoint presentation.

Grimshaw, Louise. "A Look at the Postmodern: (500) Days of Summer." Filmophilia. N.p., 5 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .

Walters, Stephanie. "Postmodernism In (500) Days of Summer (2009)." N.p., 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • Knapp's Role Of Interpersonal Relationships In When Harry Met Sally

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    With a society that frequently emphasizes love and relationships, the movie When Harry Met Sally follows a theme of finding that individual that person is willing to spend their time together for life. The film story is about two new graduates, Harry and Sally, and their journey to finding themselves through relationships, friendships and the encounters with each other 's overs the years. Harry and Sally explored their contrasting perspectives in which each gender hold regarding relationships. Throughout the film, When Harry Met Sally, it exemplified relationship development theories, models, and the maintenance of a relationship. All which demonstrates the interpersonal communication used in the film.

    Read More

  • Narrative Conventions In Jasper Jones

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author and director have used characteristics to connect with the audience by using relatable situations like school problems like bullying; teacher’s having favourites and friendship problems. As well as the main characters Jasper

    Read More

  • The Experimental Film, Fallen Angels

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    This experimental film makes use of a variety of camera shots to create a unique story that is at times funny, at times violent, and at times sad. It follows a man and a woman who are business partners; he is a hit man and she tells him the target. They are attracted to each other, but he does not want to start a relationship for fear it will destroy their business relationship. He finds another girl and in the end decides to end the business relationship because his partner can not get over him. He does, however, agree to one more job, where he ends up getting killed by his target. There is also a parallel story of a young man who earns money by annoying people and his relationship with his father and the girl he likes. He helps this girl look for the woman her boyfriend is cheating on her with and then the girl goes back to her boyfriend. In the end he meets the girl whose partner died and they ride off “into the sunset” on his motorcycle.

    Read More

  • Oliver Cavilleri's Love Story

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the early seventies, a movie, Love Story, touched many people’s heart. Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail. Oliver and Jenny continue to build their life together. Relying only on each other, they believe love can fix anything. But fate has other plans. Soon, what began as a brutally honest friendship becomes the love story of their lives.

    Read More

  • The Classical Hollywood Paradigm in Singin' in the Rain

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    A set of practices concerning the narrative structure compose the classical Hollywood Paradigm. These conventions create a plot centering around a character who undergoes a journey in an attempt to achieve some type of goal (). By giving the central character more time on screen, the film helps the audience to not only understand the character’s motivation but also empathize with his/her emotional state. Additionally, some antagonistic force creates conflict with the main character, preventing immediate success(). Finally, after confronting the antagonist, the main character achieves his or her goal along with growing emotionally(). This proven structure creates a linear and relatively easily followed series of events encompassing the leading character and a goal.

    Read More

  • Love In L. A. By Dagoberto Gilb

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story is set in Hollywood during the summer time. Written in third person objective, "Love in L.A.” Five main theme expressed throughout this short story are Life aspirations, romance, materialism, privilege, and pursuit of happiness.

    Read More

  • Genre As A Genre

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    The genre of romantic comedies sets up a framework of generic conventions for each film. Although they usually have the construction, each film is developed in their own unique way. The amusing, comical, and dramatic movies follow the basic structure of the unfulfilled desire of love in the lives of the main characters, a situation that they are put in that provides a chance for potential romance, and then though several obstacles, a realization that they are a perfect match and live “happily ever after”.

    Read More

  • Postmodern Film

    2291 Words  | 5 Pages

    The film’s story does not simply shines forth, but is also the foundation of the plot. The film’s plot makes the traditional guidelines applicable...

    Read More

  • The Notebook Movie Analysis

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Love is a word that’s been both miss-used and over-used all at once. Romantic movies change our definition of and have a big impact on this definition greatly. There have been many movies and novels made over love, but never like this. “The Notebook” is a love story about unconditional love that two people have for each other. This emotionally, heart touching story will have your eyes blood-shot and burning from you not wanting to blink your eyes. This tremendously wonderful love story will have you not wanting to even miss a millisecond of this heart throbbing film. With many plot twists and many scenes that will have you falling off of your seat and you not having any nails by the end of the movie, this is the movie for you. This emotionally rich film is full of action, laughter, and romance, which is the perfect trio combination. This movie shows us how love can bind us together forever. This film went above and

    Read More

  • 500 Days of Summer

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    500 days of summer is a story where a boy meets a girl, he falls in love with her yet she does not truly love him. The movie shows the progression of the relationship of Tom and Summer. It begins when they first meet when Summer begins working as a secretary where Tom works and progresses to them casually dating. Summer is obviously hesitant and against relationships yet Tom is overly eager to find the perfect girl. The story ultimately shows the demise and after effects of their relationship. At first thought anyone could think this is the typical love story where the movie casually progresses to them living happily ever after. This is not that kind of fairy tale love story.

    Read More

  • Scott Neustadter's Romantic Comedy Film, 500 Days Of Summer

    277 Words  | 1 Pages

    Scott Neustadter, an American screenwriter, revealed that with his romantic comedy film, 500 Days of Summer, he translates his real experiences to the big screen. Scott confirms the anecdotal truth behind this storyline through a humorous disclaimer included in the opening credits, stating that “Any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you, Jenny Beckman… Bitch.” With this statement, the narrator cautions in the beginning of this film, that it is not a love story accompanied by a happy ending; instead, it is a heartbreaking, nonlinear narrative that depicts the two’s failed relationship through the male antagonists memories of their 500 days together.

    Read More

  • David Fincher Analysis

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.

    Read More

  • Romance Movies Essay

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Romance movies have this weird love that goes on in them. Some characteristics include; sex scenes, lovey dovey affection, hate (sometimes) that ends up in love, marriages, divorces, new found love, and really anything that can happen between a man and female, female and female, man and man, whichever someone prefers. Romance movies are often seen as “chick flicks” while some may agree, others disagree. The ONLY reason they are considered “chick flicks” is because it’s a romance and theirs sappy love. There is no real evidence of it being labeled as a “chicks only flick”, men actually prefer to watch some of those movies. It doesn’t make them weak, homosexual acting, a pansy, or anything else men might call other men. Romance movies and novels are highly bought in stores. Who knows? It may be bought by your future husband or wife. And, since this paper is describing the differences, parents might look at this and decide whether or not to show the kids these types of

    Read More

  • The Difference Between Men and Women

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    After watching “The Notebook” for the six hundredth time, with tears streaming down her face, a girl can finally declare it as being her favorite movie, and maybe even deem it as the best production ever created. The cliché motives of the woman always seem to involve love and a knight in shining armor. Naturally, every woman dreams about Mr. Right, and falling head over heels in love. This is why females are so vulnerable to passionate films. “My heart melted when I saw him kiss her like that.” Stereotyped as the hopeless romantics, girls live to love and be loved. Girls want relationships. Girls enjoy corny love movies. This is somewhat of an escape route for the girls, knowing that in reality, the average guy isn’t interested in a relationship, or falling in love. But for the sake of women, in the hours of our mourning, why not take advantage of the blockbusters while their...

    Read More

  • Harmless Entertainment? The Idea of Love In Hollywood

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    Are you a hopeless romantic, waiting around for the right girl or guy to come around and make sense of your world? Well, maybe you’ve been watching too many romance movies. Hollywood presents love as a feeling, one that most teenagers confuse with infatuation and lust. Movies like The Notebook create a false view of what love looks like and many teenagers lose the opportunity to find love because they are waiting for someone to sweep them off their feet and kiss them in the rain while the background music slowly plays; but there are movies out there that do give us a pretty realistic view of what love looks like without having to showcase any nudity or sexual scenes. I wish to contrast the differences between the movie The Notebook and Fireproof along with their affects on teenagers. Most teenagers have learned to handle heated situations in the manor in which they have seen presented in movies. Dr. O’Hara, a researcher at the University of Missouri, studied the behavior patterns of 1,200 teens for six years and he found that the teens that watched suggestive movies tended to be more sexually active and have a more casual view on sex than those that were not exposed to as much media (Hagelin 2). What if Hollywood made more movies that focused on wholesome values and principles? In this paper I challenge the parents of teenagers to take off the blindfolds and help their teens to find a balance between these fantasies that Hollywood presents and reality, and I believe that Hollywood could play a role in reshaping the mindsets of teenagers.

    Read More

More about 500 Days of Summer

Open Document