If you want Truth then Romance

It’s only so rare that a romantic comedy is realistic. We do manage to sit through the sappy and rather humorous films like Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003) because we know that we are going to somehow feel warm and yet humorously satisfied. While even the most masculine men will still sit with their girlfriends to watch these films, psychologically we ingest the morals and messages of these films. Some romantic comedies make us want to fall in love, others reevaluate our current or lack of relationships. However we do forget that in reality it is rather uncommon to propose to a woman you have known for less than a month. But what if a romantic comedy was realistic? Would the characters we have learned to love over a two hour run time be hitched by the end? Would every moment feel ever so romantic? Would their arguments be relatable or could their relationship be a mundane representation of our realities? But despite the relationship focus, in a romantic comedy we look for the two factors; Romance and comedy. Using the traditional archetype, ladies interested in a romantic comedy may perhaps be looking for a heroine they can relate to. Someone who has experienced abandonment, loss, self loathing and a want in life to find the man of her dreams like the charming Lucy Eleanor Moderatz played by Sandra Bullock from While you were sleeping (Jon Turtletaub, 2003). Some women may use these films to dream upon the man who would go the distance for them like the memorable performance from Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I hate about you (Gil Junger, 1999). As a male, continuing this archetype, we could be looking for the extraordinary situation in which we find ourselves with a hopeless romantic, chasing after the girl who is just out of our league, Notting Hill showed this (Roger Mitchell, 1999).

I do believe that the comedy in most of these films are gender-neutral, the humour applies to both sexes. Furthermore it is fascinating that a lot of these films could be told as dramas but by using the trope of comedy or even using comedy as a medium to tell a romance narrative, we fully comprehend the narrative in a more effective manner. For a lot of us stuck at home during the worldwide pandemic, a lot of us were fortunate to watch Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020). The great Lonely Island team came back into the film world with their new American summer hit Palm Springs! The comedic trio of Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg began their cinematic journey with the 2007 classic Hot Rod (Schaffer, 2007). The comedic classic led them to make their most famous Popstar: Never stop popping (Schaffer, 2016). The Lonely Island produced this hit with Samberg acting in one of his greatest performances that earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a leading role: Comedy or Musical. The film’s story follows Nyles (Samberg) , a consistently drunken man without a care in the world, who is this way due to the fact that he relives every single day over and over again. It isn’t until the beautiful Sarah played by Cristin Millioti joins him in this never ending loop. The only challenge facing these two is the temptation to not fall in love. This film became an instant hit and was commercially and critically acclaimed in all categories. So if you enjoy a rom com like Palm Springs then you ought to check out 500 Days of Summer (Webb, 2009).

500 days of Summer is a must watch for all people. Despite the film being a drama, a comedy, a story of boy meets girl it is a story of romance and truth. It is a story of self discovery, it is a story of love and subjection. It is a beautiful film. 500 days of Summer follows Tom Hanson (brilliantly played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a wannabe architect who settled as a low level greeting card writer who fantasizes about the day he will meet “the one”. Tom’s mundane existence is put to a halt when Summer Finn (another excellent role from Zooey Deschanel) comes into his life. Summer likes what Tom likes, the same music, movies, hipster sense of style and humour. She’s almost too perfect, however she doesn’t believe in Love. So why watch the film right?

500 days of Summer is an honest story of relationships, fantasy and what the meaning of love is. The Director Marc Webb crafts this Indie flick with a unique style of directing, making the humour and reality work so well, we feel as if the journey we are to go on is one extraordinary experience through his visual and stylistic techniques. He takes the raw writing of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber and manages to create this bitter sweet visual masterpiece. Shot on 35mm, crisp cut shots, quirky editing, a great soundtrack, a very sexy style of editing. It’s such a treat from a visual point of view. But the story is what takes this film to another level, the structure, the realistic dialogue, the character evolution, it’s a masterful film. Without any spoilers it is important to see films like this, both Summer and Tom are relatable characters who have their set ways and are both in the right, yet both in the wrong. Tom decides Summer is the one, while Summer is stubborn as she decides that Love is not real. This film can be seen as a romantic tale about an unromantic event or even an unromantic tale about a romantic event.

The most beautiful and potentially the most romantic or powerful thing about this film is how each audience member will react to it. You could be married, recently single, in a healthy or unhealthy relationship or even single all of your life. This film will have an effect on you. It will make you think, contemplate and evaluate. I’d suggest watching this with your significant other, a close friend or anyone who is willing to talk about relationships! This film will make you think about love and how love affects us all. Love is truly the most wonderful thing in our mundane lives, it controls how we see strangers, family and friends. It’s beautiful and not always easy and yet it means something different to all of us, I guess that’s what this film teaches us, I can’t recommend it enough! So if you like romantic films then watch 500 days of Summer. If you like romantic comedies then watch 500 days of Summer. If you like dramedies then watch 500 days of Summer. If you like strong acting performances then watch 500 days of Summer. If you like Palm Springs then watch 500 days of Summer.

If you want Truth then Romance

then watch 500 days of Summer.