500 days of summer script analysis

He reflects on their 500 days together to try to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in doing so, tom rediscovers his true passions in life. Whenever they occur in the movie, the film breaks from the pov of tom joseph gordonlevitt. Conversation analysis of 500 days of summer film essay. The good news is, though, that nonlinear stories like the one found in the 500 days of summer script are actually easier to write than you may think. But since im a dating and relationship coach and not a revenge coach, im going to focus on the offbeat romantic comedy just for a moment. Introducing the moderator council and its first, protempore, representatives. Tom hansen, a lovesick greeting card writer, meets summer finn and proceeds to begin a 500 day relationship with her, revealing to us right at the start that this love story does not end happily.

More than this however they are reflective of the separate styles and tones of the films as a whole. The narrator tells the viewer in the first 5 minutes of the movie that though the story is about a boy and girl, it isnt a love story. The symbols i, ii and iii indicate the acts within each sequence. If youre looking for a similarly mature romantic movie, check out her, or eternal sunshine for the spotless mind. Webb from a screenplay written by scott neustadter and michael h.

Writing a script can be hard enough without playing around with timeframes and trying to still make it all make sense. In the movie 500 days of summer, one can see the nonverbal communication through out the whole movie. Parents need to know that 500 days of summer is a smart romantic dramedy thats ageappropriate for teens and up, but its thoughtful exploration of relationships may speak more to those in college and older. Marc webb director, michael weber writer, scott neustadter writer, and joseph gordonlevitt actor 1. Very different movies, with very different messages. It is important to note cinematographically that the film opens with day 488, the scene where tom and summer are seated at a bench and the audience sees. There are also numerous allusions to the band within the actual script of the movie, as the smiths are a shared passion between the two love interests of the film. Ten years later, 500 days of summer is quick, funny, romantic, and heartbreaking. This week we are analyzing the screenplay for the 2009 movie 500 days of summer, written by scott neustadter and michael h. The 500 days are indicated in brackets before the scene. In 500 days of summer, the music is presented as nondiegetic but it still effectively serves the filmmakers goals. He shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days together to try to figure out where things went wrong.

The plot as given here has been rearranged in chronological order. Weber screenplay and marc webb director in 2009 film 500 days of summer. The final scene in 500 days of summer is completed by answering the question fate does exist and there is the one or soul mate out there and you will never know when it happens. An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesnt believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her. Tom tries to explain to alison why hes not ready to date her. The majority of romcoms you see have a happy ending, where you have been rooting for the title characters to get together and they do. For all the warm, generous, very funny things that it is, the movie is also a cry of pain from a. What was the moraltheme of the movie 500 days of summer.

Spoilers ahead, this is a semiargumentative analysis about the state of the main character, tom, at the end of the movie. Tom and summer start dating slowly, getting to know one another over several months. The film is memorable scene after scene, from the couples ikea shopping trip to their illfated date to see. Weber first draft simple black on white credits roll to big stars im in love with a girl.

The following analysis is taken from the script, rather than the feature film. We never remember in chronological order, especially when were going back over a failed romance. Tom and summer alternating closeup shots between two characters come back to her apartment where they breakup, the scene ends with a high angle shot of tom running down a spiraling staircase. Script analysis 500 days of summer 500 days of summer is a film directed by marc webb. Both leads do a great job of delivering dialogue in a well directed script. For links to over 100 free and legal script downloads, go here. Emily wells and fatima mirza, senior staff writers tom from 500 days of summer is without a doubt one of the most infuriatingly cliche hipsters ever to come to the big screen. This film is about tom, a lovesick romantic who is blinded side when summer, the love of his life, dumps him. Tom hansen tells the story of his relationship with summer finn. A 6 part series on the 2009 wga nominated best original screenplay. Weber and scott neustadter, the script narrates the story of the male protagonist and memories of his failed relationship that lasted for exactly 500 days scott 1. Sudden extreme change in mood from the blissful delight and enthusiasm to the destroyed misanthropic attitude occasionally involving a mix of confusion and fear are all cleverly written and presented in a very unconventional way by michael h. The wife and i saw 500 days of summer last night before we caught inglourious basterds.

Summary and analysis for the film 500 days of summer 500 days of summer is a film based on the relationship between a man and a woman in their midtwenties. We know this because a basso profundo narrator richard mcgonagle. Despite all of that, 500 days of summer is a great romantic comedy that id recommend to any fans of the two main stars, as well as folks who enjoy unique takes on overdone genres like the romcom. In the last segment of music in the movies, i focused on quentin tarantinos use of music and his penchant for presenting songs as diegetic sounds. Walking tour page 5 of 6 grand central market 315 south broadway john parkinson, 1897 listed in the national register of historic places this was the site of a deleted scene from the film in which tom and summer are shopping for fruit. For my 7part series on how to read a screenplay, go here.

Narrative and stylistic analysis of 500 days of summer. Browse other questions tagged plotexplanation ending 500daysofsummer. The ending may not be what weve come to expect, but the beats and choices that many of the characters make are familiar territory for fans of romantic fare. Summary and analysis for the film 500 days of summer. We start near the end, and then hop around between the times that were good and the times that left pain. Tom hansen, a trained architect who works as a writer at a greeting card company. How to use the 500 days of summer script to master nonlinear storytelling. Cu summer opening the door to the boardroom, about to come face to face with tom. In fact, 500 days of summer is a brilliant example of how to repackage tried and tested ideas to make them feel fresh and original again. This week we will be analyzing the screenplay for the 2009 movie 500 days of summer, written by scott neustadter and michael h. This film is about tom, a lovesick romantic who is blind sided when summer, the love of his life, dumps him. How to use the 500 days of summer script to master non. He makes himself impossible to root for, because theres nothing endearing about some naive twentysomething smithslistener who rides out his overromanticization. The fantasy scenes of 500 and fwb, when deconstructed, become a symbol of selfawareness and selfdeprecation regarding the process in which they have been realised as a romanticcomedy.

People will see tom and summers example of how relationships are able to form, as well as how relationships can be terminated from the non verbal communication skills with many other communication problems. The script was nominated for the wga award for best original screenplay. Built by retired ohio entrepreneur homer laughlin, founder of the. How to use the 500 days of summer script to master nonlinear. A defining moment scene in 500 days of summer occurs day 259 when tom defends his relationship with summer at a bar and hits the stranger.

Tom, greetingcard writer and hopeless romantic, is caught completely offguard when his girlfriend, summer, suddenly dumps him. But crucially, the 90 minute comedy is still rigidly structured, each scene giving us more information, each scene developing its characters and as the film progresses, the stakes are raised. People always say start at the beginning, but we didnt know at the time it was the beginning. Its a feat of star acting, and it helps make 500 days not just bitter or sweet but everything in between. Countless scripts have subjected their protagonists through the archetypal woes, resentments, and recoveries associated with botched relationships, and this one is no exception.

Five hundred days of summer analysis film studies essay. This is no accident, as the smiths downtrodden, tragically desperate sound matches the tone of 500 days of summer with a striking resemblance. Although it professes otherwise, 500 days of summer is a typical love story that is told in a notso typical fashion. The voiceovers were all done on the first day of production.

He narrates it from the perspective of the present, looking back at certain events in a nonchronological order. Employing a nonlinear narrative structure, 500 days of summer is an american romantic comedydrama produced in 2009 by mark waters. When all is said and done, up comes a single number in parenthesis, like so. So the film is essentially the 500 days that tom meets a girl named summer, and eventually resolves his relationship with her. It is a film that also miraculously manages to subvert generic expectations in one way while also completely confirming them in another. Park day for a few seconds we watch a man 20s and a woman 20s on a park bench. It has a sweetyetrealistic view of relationships thats refreshing given the usual formulaic dreck in this genre.