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(500) Days of Summer, Irony and Parentheses
Getting dumped (twice) is the ultimate career move
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in (500) Days of Summer (2009).
On July 22, 2001—a Sunday if I’m not mistaken (and I’m not)—sometime between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), a monumental, cataclysmic, earth-shattering event took place in a restaurant in midtown Manhattan: I got dumped.
Hard.
Being a mature adult, not at all prone to emotional histrionics, I promptly told the girl to lose my number and never call me again. Unless, of course, she was calling to apologize and beg me to take her back. I fully expected her to do that, too; maybe not in the first few days, but surely in the days or weeks to follow. Suffice it to say, she didn’t. And by Christmas, I had no choice but to accept the fact that she and I were finished.
We’d only been dating a couple of months and yet, as so often happens in the wake of such things, I was flooded by some powerful emotions: Hopelessness, crippling inadequacy, the world ending… that sort of thing. I stayed in a lot during those days—listening to The Smiths on a constant loop, watching old French films and lamenting my not being alive in an era that would appreciate me.
In short: I was an asshole.
Now at this time, my friend Michael Weber and I had written one screenplay together, an outlandish and rather inane comedy designed solely to make us both laugh. A few people read it and thought it was funny, but nothing ever happened and that was that. We kept writing, but rarely finished anything we started. Then, after a few aborted attempts to write something big and commercial, my frustration level (coupled with my already gloomy mental state) convinced me that I needed to do something nuts. So I did.
I impulsively quit my job of four years, said goodbye to my friends and family and flew off to London for an indefinite period of time (to “study,” as I told all those concerned).
An amazing thing happened next. Almost instantly upon my arrival, I met someone new. She was smart. She was pretty. She was perfect. And six months later, she dumped the shit out of me.
(500) Days of Summer is the story of those relationships. Or, at least, how I remembered them afterwards. (Okay, fine, how I chose to remember them.) Weber and I always dreamed of writing a romantic comedy like our heroes Cameron Crowe and Woody Allen—one that was relatable and identifiable, where the comedy came from a real place rather than some squirrel attack in the woods; where the obstacle that kept the boy and girl apart was genuine instead of forced and ridiculous (“He likes cats, she likes dogs. How will it ever work!?”). Our aim was simple: Tell the story of a relationship. Make it real, make it funny and try to make it not suck. When I returned from London, now with—count ‘em—two relationship disasters to draw from, we set out to do just that.
(500) Days of Summer is the result. An anatomy of a romance that is equal parts autobiography and fantasy. A pop song in screenplay form.
Of course it never occurred to us, not even for a second, that people might actually want to make this thing. But amazingly, they did. Among them: Passionate producers, a remarkable cast, a stellar crew and a real visionary at the helm in Marc Webb.
The stars aligned, things fell into place and in May of last year, much to our surprise, it actually happened.
The first test screening was held on September 18, 2008. I was completely terrified. Everywhere I looked I saw someone who was going to hate this thing. That guy in the Dodgers jersey—oh man, he’d so rather be watching the game. And that woman with her pantsuit? She’s had a long day, she needs sleep! And this dude with his biker helmet, are you kidding me!? Does he know there are no car chases here? No action sequences or big explosions? That the only pain inflicted is emotional? Oh god, we’re so dead.
As I sat there, horribly stereotyping the assembled crowd, something strange occured: Laughter. At the very first joke. Was it a fluke? No! There was another one!
Arms un-crossed all around me. More laughing. Yes! Girls in my row leaned forward, hanging on every word. “This is really good,” someone behind me whispered. Biker Helmet wiped a tear from his eye (swear to God). And when it was over: Applause.
We’ve had several good screenings since then, but that’s a day I’ll never forget. It’s a strange thing when something that was once so personal only to you becomes personal to somebody else. It’s equally strange when something born so completely out of rejection finds itself so readily embraced. (500) Days of Summer is a lot of things: Funny (hopefully), sad (definitely), peculiar (for sure). There’s music, dancing, split screens, narrators, a cartoon bird (and a huge overuse of parentheses). The one thing there isn’t is irony.
Or so we thought. MM
(500) Days of Summer is in theaters now.
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by Cosmetic Dentist Vancouver on 8/24/09 at 3:42 pm
Nice post.. I’m not a romantic film, chick flick kind of guy, but your post makes me want to watch the movie with my girlfriend! I’ll try to catch it on a theater or a DVD near me.
- Comment by dating polen on 8/26/09 at 12:22 pm
The character Tom in 500 Days of Summer has this awesome pair of headphones that he wears in a lot of scenes in the movie, and I was wondering if anyone knew what kind of headphones they are? I’ve been looking for a good pair of headphones for a long time, and his seem to be what I’m looking for.
- Comment by airjordanpremium on 9/08/09 at 3:11 am
Yes, I really hate of that awesome headphone, either.
- Comment by Try Singlesnet.com on 9/19/09 at 8:44 am
The online dating population becomes larger, sites with specific demographics are becoming more popular as a way to narrow the pool of potential matches
- Comment by Singlesnet.com on 9/19/09 at 3:32 pm
“The fearsome franchise continues this Fall with the debut of GODZILLA: THE SERIES. Just as Manhattan and the rest of America recover from the chaos and havoc the world’s most famous monster wreaked this Summer, a series of new catastrophes appear. Only our hero Nick Tatopoulos and his enormous new ally, Godzilla, can prevent further destruction. Riding the crest of the monstrous success of the feature film, GODZILLA: THE SERIES will build upon the huge following of the world’s favorite monster with ‘A whole new cast of monsters to strengthen collectibility of licensed product’. Debuts Fall 1998, slated to go daily Feb 1999. 40 episodes.”-from original press release.
- Comment by Alex on 9/20/09 at 2:06 pm
Like the other guy up there, I’m not much of a romantic comedy guy, but this one has something that a lot of them are missing. And the author nailed it: reality. I’m considering checking it out at my local indy theatre just because it is different from the rest of the pack. A fresh idea is what I look forward to.
- Comment by whushing on angels wings on 9/25/09 at 4:03 am
I loved reading about your personal anguish and getting behind your mind of how the idea for this movie came about. Hearing you tell what was going on inside of your head, about why everyone wasn’t going to like your movie. Thank you for your honesty. You aren’t so different from me, and you, like me have found the lifeline for survival. That is wisdom you can feel, once you’ve come to the understanding that love and hate, high’s and low’s, and life and death are all part of living, don’t tangle with the technicalities, talk through them, just like you did. That’s the magic of the trinity. Now I have to watch this movie because I feel a touch of genius in it. I get tired of hearing raves about really bad movies and I have nearly stopped wanting to go.
Sorry.- Comment by R. on 10/22/09 at 4:32 pm
I went to see it at the filmfestival in Ghent and though people would think it’s a “chick flick” or “romantic comedy”: you really want to know how it will end. And the punchline really says it all: not a love story, but a story of love!
Oh btw: you had applause at the filmfestival in Ghent when the movie ended (total sell-out too btw)- Comment by Telechargement Gratuit de Dessins Animes on 2/22/10 at 3:49 pm
Wow, I never knew ones downfall could also be his success. This was a great story. Funny really.
- Comment by ss22 on 4/09/10 at 7:16 am
Yes, I really hate of that awesome headphone, either.
- Comment by Oily Hair Shampoo on 4/09/10 at 7:18 am
Like the other guy up there, I’m not much of a romantic comedy guy, but this one has something that a lot of them are missing. And the author nailed it: reality. I’m considering checking it out at my local indy theatre just because it is different from the rest of the pack. A fresh idea is what I look forward to.
- Comment by Funny Pictures on 5/22/10 at 9:18 pm
Like the other guy up there, I’m not much of a romantic comedy guy, but this one has something that a lot of them are missing. And the author nailed it: reality. I’m considering checking it out at my local ixsgfddsndy theatre just because it is different from the rest of the pack. A fresh idea is what I look forward to.
- Comment by Gap Year on 5/24/10 at 3:20 pm
I loved this movie and the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it made it more appealing for me.
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- Comment by Aprender Ingles on 6/25/10 at 5:15 pm
Well,things happen in an unexpected manner.I believe that this will be good beginning for this film and I hope it will push through as it started.
- Comment by Curso Ingles on 6/26/10 at 6:35 pm
Very nice post ....
- Comment by doviz on 6/29/10 at 4:34 pm
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I really like your topic .. Topics I’ve shared your facebook .. Thank you very much again .. In addition, I gave my site a few below, if you like it, you’ll be glad to sites in and make comments Thank admin.- Comment by sohbet on 7/05/10 at 12:00 pm
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I really like your topic .. Topics I’ve shared your facebook .. Thank you very much again- Comment by Accident Compensation on 7/15/10 at 11:34 am
I just had the chance to watch this movie and boy was I sad about the story. Well, life goes on and everything will fall into the right pieces. All we have to do is wait and be patient.
- Comment by fragman izle on 7/15/10 at 12:03 pm
fragmanI just had the chance to watch this movie and boy was I sad about the story. Well, life goes on and everything will fall into the right pieces. All we have to do is wait and be patient.
fragman izle- Comment by Free Advertising on 7/23/10 at 10:17 am
This movie was fun. I really enjoying watching it.
- Comment by Medical Coding Certification on 7/23/10 at 12:07 pm
500 days of summer was a great movie indeed. I really had fun watching it. I learned a lot from the movie.
- Comment by Australian Travel Visa on 8/11/10 at 4:35 pm
This was an amazing movie. I really enjoyed my watch and it was really touching.
- Comment by Travel on 8/17/10 at 3:10 pm
I was really amazed with the movie. This was really nice. I truly enjoyed my watch.
- Comment by oyun oyna on 8/22/10 at 9:44 pm
I’m happy to let others make decisions for themselves, but aren’t they entitled to hear both sides? Oh, right, Scientology forbids that. Know why? Because if people heard both sides, Scientology and Inktip would never have any new members/customers.
- Comment by nosesmaller on 8/23/10 at 8:00 am
We’d only been dating a couple of months and yet, as so often happens in the wake of such things, I was flooded by some powerful emotions: Hopelessness, crippling inadequacy, the world ending… that sort of thing..
- Comment by Turf on 8/27/10 at 3:15 pm
Revenge is good, in a good way. You stand up and let them know that you can still live your life without them. I know that its hard to do that, after being dumped two times, but use it as a challenge and don’t give up.
- Comment by replicas de relogios famosos on 8/30/10 at 9:45 am
The movie is indeed good. It gives those people who had the same fortune as the character the inspiration to still live their lives and try to gain back what they’ve lost in life.
- Comment by Don on 9/02/10 at 2:49 am
Really hope to find this movie here, in Ukraine. I like such ‘natural’ movies, like stories from real life, that remind you of your own scenes from your life. And I like like the mixture of comedy and irony too.
- Comment by living on 9/08/10 at 2:48 am
I am looking forward to watch. With the way I am reading this here, it’s fascinating.Thanks for sharing.
- Comment by Buy Web Traffic on 9/22/10 at 3:32 pm
It’s an inspiring story.. I like it.
- Comment by Plumbing Raleigh NC on 9/24/10 at 1:44 pm
The story is really inspiring.. Turning pain to power as what they say.
- Comment by health on 9/27/10 at 2:21 pm
It was a wonderful one...It’s good for someone stressful enough and needs a break.
- Comment by Ideas and Reviews on 9/28/10 at 5:25 am
I think the movie is great. It is just right people applauded.
- Comment by diyet on 9/29/10 at 4:50 am
Hopelessness, crippling inadequacy, the world ending… that sort of thing..
- Comment by lottery vending machines on 10/01/10 at 10:49 am
The movie is really inspiring…
- Comment by Electric Cars and Vehicles on 10/06/10 at 3:02 pm
When I heard about this movie, I thought that this would be just another movie, but when I saw it, it was really inspiring and I learned a lot from this movie.
- Comment by shopping on 10/13/10 at 3:14 am
I love the movie and i would be watching it all over again.
- Comment by Augusta Attorney on 10/23/10 at 4:26 pm
the movie is absolutely fantastic! I find it to be very inspiring and uplifting. Great post by the way.
- Comment by Maidenhead taxi Service on 10/26/10 at 9:12 am
Using your depressions in searching for true happiness is such an achievement.
- Comment by Crazy Vision on 9/10/11 at 12:07 pm
thanx for shring this ..
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This story was published in the Summer 2009 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
(500) Days or Irony/Getting dumped (twice) is the ultimate career move for one young scribe
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