The Story: I loved (500) Days of Summer. It rang of truth to me, not the myth of Hollywood Romance which a lot of us now take for "love," (and it could be, if they didn't cut the bad bits out, or end it at the best "Happily Exit After"). For one thing, it exploded the rom-com "given" that the girl is going to be the one head-over-heels for the guy. Here, the guy is all gooey-romantic to the point where he can't see straight, certainly where she's concerned. It also nicely tweaks the "soul-mate" myth...or "the one" (you know, who's been waiting all your life, to be the perfect match, out of the billions of people in the world). Only a "guy" could believe a concept that dumb. That there's "one." The only other person who could believe something so silly would a "girl." Either one, would have to be "romantic" enough (or should we say "particular" enough, or "needy" enough, or "naive" enough) to buy into the "soul-mate" nonsense. It's building up the notion of attraction to folkloric heights of such scale and impossibility that it sets one up automatically to fail, either if "the one" doesn't work out, or if it is never attained. And if it doesn't go right, it's devastating, prompting all sorts of odd behavior, either acting out or staying in (for example, the opening titles of the film, which calls out—then insults—some fictional "ex" of one of the film-makers). (500) plays with the concept, and manages to milk observational comedy out of it. My favorite take-away was Tom's concept of love based on (as we're told) "a total misreading of...The Graduate," which, if one is paying attention, manages to question the viability of Ben and Elaine's "love-conquers-all" romance before the end of the second-to-last shot. Director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-man) does not follow the scripters' advice to show Tom and Summer in split-screen right before their meeting, instead giving them their own spaces, joining them once in a distant pan of the greeting card company office where they both work. They don't occupy the same frame or the same space (except in the "488" section) at this stage of the film until after we're informed "this is not a love story." Which isn't really true. It is a love story, but it's a love story born out of naivete and lack of experience and more of obsession. Yes, there may be a "one and only" but one can only find their "only" within one's self, through commitment and character. The Set-Up: No story yet. This is the beginning of the movie. Tom is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Summer is Zooey Deschanel. Action!
SIMPLE BLACK ON WHITE CREDITS ROLL TO BIG STAR'S "I'M IN LOVE
WITH A GIRL." When all is said and done, up comes a single
number in parenthesis, like so:
(478) EXT. PARK - DAY
For a few seconds we watch A MAN (20s) and a WOMAN (20s) on a
park bench. Their names are TOM and SUMMER. Neither one says
a word.
CLOSE ON her HAND, covering his. Notice the wedding ring. No
words are spoken. Tom looks at her the way every woman wants
to be looked at. A DISTINGUISHED VOICE begins to speak to us. NARRATOR
This is a story of boy meets girl. CUT TO:
(1) INT CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
The boy is TOM HANSEN. He sits at a very long rectangular
conference table. The walls are lined with framed blow-up
sized greeting cards. Tom, dark hair and blue eyes, wears a t-
shirt under his sports coat and Adidas tennis shoes to
balance out the corporate dress code. He looks pretty bored.
NARRATOR
The boy, Tom Hansen of Margate, New
Jersey, grew up believing that he'd
never truly be happy until the day
he met his... "soulmate." "the one." CUT TO:
INT LIVING ROOM - 1989
PRE-TEEN TOM sits alone on his bed engrossed in a movie. His
walls are covered in posters of obscure bands. From the TV,
we hear: "Elaine! Elaine!"
4.
NARRATOR
This belief stemmed from early
exposure to sad British pop music and a total misreading of the
movie, "The Graduate." CUT TO:
INT OFFICE CUBICLE - PRESENT DAY
The girl is SUMMER FINN. She files folders and answers phones
in a plain white office. She has cropped blonde hair almost
like a boy's but her face is feminine and pretty enough to
get away with it. NARRATOR
The girl, Summer Finn of
Shinnecock, Michigan, did not share
this belief. CUT TO:
INT BATHROOM - 1994
Teenage Summer stares at herself in the mirror. Her hair
extends down to her lower back.
NARRATOR
Since the disintegration of her
parents' marriage, she'd only loved
two things. The first was her long
blonde dark hair.
She picks up scissors from the counter and begins to slice.
NARRATOR
The second was how easily she could
cut it off... And feel nothing. CUT TO:
SPLITSCREEN. INT BOARDROOM/ INT CUBICLE - SAME
On the right side of the screen, Tom continues to listen to
some boring presentation. On the left, Summer answers a call,
takes a message, and walks out of her cubicle down a long
narrow hallway.
5.
NARRATOR
Tom meets Summer on January 8th in
a San Francisco office building.
NARRATOR In
an instant, he will know she's the
one he's been looking for.
CU Summer opening the door to the boardroom, about to come
face to face with Tom for the first time.
NARRATOR
This is a story of boy meets girl. But before they do, CUT TO:
BLACK.
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