(500) Days of Manic Pixie Dream Girl

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2014)

"This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story." (500) Days of Summer could pass as a typical romantic comedy about the average American boy and girl, but it is not. It has a rather routine structure to it: boy meets girl, boy and girl have conflict, boy desperately wants girl back. Boy, or Tom Hansen in this case, is quite ordinary and girl, Summer Finn, is absolutely not. Summer Finn can be labeled a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, a quirky and too unreal girl whose main purpose is to liven up the life of the plain male protagonist. The MPDG has been seen in many films, Elizabethtown for instance, but (500) Days seeks to look further. (500) Days of Summer is a film that is clever enough to trick audiences into thinking that they are seeing a film about a man finding the right woman. But it unpeels the next layer and shows how the male protagonist is the one to blame. It certainly succeeds in being entertaining and providing interesting commentary for audiences to unravel. It is witty and captivating. Would it be an insult to call (500) Days a romantic comedy, a rom-com? One of its first lines is a warning: it is not a love story. But there is no alternative genre for a boy who falls for a girl and spends about half of the film wallowing in his heartache. It is different than the usual rom-com. (500) Days is reminiscent of Annie Hall in its quirky humor, but still a romantic comedy. They also both have rather opinionated, outspoken male protagonists who are less interesting than their female love interest. It can be grouped with other movies similar to Annie Hall. (500) Days does stand on its own. It is not a romantic comedy that will simply blend in with the rest, which is a feat for Marc Webb and the other filmmakers. Romantic comedies have garnered a certain, not flattering, reputation over the years and one that shines bright against the rest is a true triumph. This film is even more impressive considering it is Marc Webb's feature film directing debut. (500) Days has the feel of someone who has been practicing the craft of romantic comedies, or feature films in general. In comparison to his other works, including music videos and the recent The Amazing Spider-Man films, this film is not too dissimilar. Marc Webb has an undeniably distinct style. (500) Days has a brightness and a colorfully appealing quality that seems to be Marc Webb's specialty. His films look like reality, only amplified and almost romanticized. If one were looking to merely sit back and enjoy a romantic comedy, they could watch this film and feel content. There's the initial meeting of the two love interests, their rocky road as a couple (and as a non-couple) and then a resolution that appears to be a happy one. But the commentary of this film is lurking there, waiting to be picked up on. This film seeks to challenge the term MPDG. While Summer is undoubtedly one, she is more than that. Summer is a person who is complex and not just there to make Tom's life more vivid. Tom holds on to an image of Summer and likes her to be one way. He enjoys her company when she is bubbly and peculiar and keeps him on his toes. But she has more than one side to her and it is hard for Tom to deal with. This film goes farther than to simply say that just because someone shares unique interests with you, that doesn't make them your soul mate. Although, that is an important note for the audience. The film is about love and how we spend too much time focusing on our ideal significant other. But it also takes on the task of dismantling the concept of MPDG. This film deserves a solid A-. While the film is almost flawless, I had issue with the way this film arced. Summer is essentially the antagonist to Tom's protagonist as the film goes along and she has a clear moment when she arcs. The film's climax is when Tom and Summer meet up after her wedding. She has matured and has learned about love and life. ButTom? Does he truly learn anything by the resolution of this film? I would say no, he has not learned a lesson. This seems to be a routine for Tom: he falls for a girl and then ends up heart-broken and then finds someone to lust after again. So after his final meet-up with Summer, the audience is left to wonder if he has learned from his experience with Summer. The ending of the film involves him meeting and having a brief moment of connection with a woman. She reveals her name is Autumn and he looks to the camera with a knowing smile. It seems as if the cycle is simply beginning again. The addition of Tom's younger sister was another part of the film that I thought was not necessary. She was far too precocious to be believable. But this film is worth a watch and even a re-watch. The cinematography of this film is absolutely brilliant. The city becomes its own character with beautiful views of the architecture, arguably Tom's true love. The contrast of happy times and sad times through the cinematography is well done. Tom's happier times with Summer have a pastel blue tint that livens up the movie, while Tom's melancholy scenes are gray and darker. The social commentary of the film is a major aspect that makes the film stand apart from many other films. But the conflict is debatably the best part of this film. Tom and Summer's roller coaster of a relationship is engaging. Their moments of happiness make audiences dread the upcoming demise of their relationship, but their conflict is undeniably entertaining to watch.