(500) Days of Summer: A Classic Movie Review

by Sophia Caneira ’29 on September 25, 2025

A&E - Film & TV

Disclaimer: Spoilers Ahead

(500) Days of Summer (2009) is one of my favorite films I’ve seen. Even from the first moments, where the director’s disclaimer about Jenny Beckman, presumably a woman who broke his heart, is superimposed over a black screen, I was hooked. The movie follows the lives of Tom Hansen and Summer Finn over the course of their 500 days together, and how they fall in and out of love. For me, Tom is a relatable character. He is someone you might consider a hopeless romantic. He believes in the concept of true love and finding “the one,” while Summer does not. This comes between them and causes tension in their cautious relationship at multiple points. Personally, I think this flips the usual stereotype of the girl being obsessed and head-over-heels in love with the guy, who is usually depicted as more hesitant in the partnership when it comes to making a commitment and putting labels on the relationship. This is one of the many ways that this romantic comedy is unique from most others.

Most rom-coms are fairly predictable; they follow the same formula that involves a meet-cute, exploration of the relationship, impending problems, and eventually a solution that results in the happy ending audiences crave. (500) Days of Summer is not like this. First of all, the movie jumps back and forth in time, between the high points in Tom and Summer’s relationship and the low points after their breakup. This method is almost reminiscent of the human experience of recalling memories. The way the movie is cut also allows for several powerful parallel scenes that create emotional contrast. For example, the different scenes that take place in IKEA. Despite the time jumps, the story isn’t given away, and the twist about Summer’s engagement is preserved until toward the end. Most of the time in rom-coms, the two main characters experience a challenge that threatens to end their relationship, but they are able to overcome that challenge once they see that they are better off together than they are apart. In (500) Days of Summer, Tom struggles with moving on from Summer because he believes she was the one, but they don’t end up back together. The only other movie I’ve seen where that twist occurs is in the movie La La Land (2016). This kind of unexpected twist rids the film of the predictability we expect from the typical rom-com. The movie explores how relationships are extremely personal and can invade every aspect of a person’s life, which isn’t usually touched on in the common flick.

From a filmmaking standpoint, (500) Days is also a cinematic masterpiece. The movie employs a number of unique tactics to immerse you in the story. For one, the film jumps from past to present from start to finish. As the audience, we move through the 500 days focusing on Tom’s perspective, making him the main character and allowing us to empathize with his experience. The use of black and white clips, text superimposed on the screen, interviews with the characters, the “expectations vs. reality” scene of Tom arriving at Summer’s party, and even animation at some points, create an unconventional yet beautiful depiction of what a relationship can feel like. The film also includes a memorable soundtrack, which includes songs from a range of genres, from “Us” by Regina Spektor, to the classic “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates, to songs by The Smiths. The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” became iconic through its use as a theme at several points in the film.

I think many people, regardless of whether or not they have been in a romantic relationship before, can relate to this film in some way. The characters (especially Tom) are so accessible, and the unique way the movie was filmed and edited is compelling. While perhaps a somewhat simple love story of boy meets girl (although the narrator denies this), the plot and dialogue, such as Tom’s monologue before he quits his job, are quite thought-provoking. The film is so real—between the story and the acting—which I think is partially why it resonated with me so much. This underrated film was a very emotional watch for me, and I would certainly take the time to watch it again. At least for me, it’s the kind of film you’d be able to glean new details from each time.

The Sun Sets on Sundance: Goodnight To Robert Redford

by Ian Gualtiere ’27 on September 25, 2025

A&E - Film & TV

To many, there was always a certain glow to movies from the previous century. Maybe it was the way the film met the light while capturing the action, allowing a fabulous fuzz to appear on our screens nearly 50 years later. Audiences could go to theaters to see dreams captured on celluloid and movies where actors truly turned into the characters they sought to convey. The idea of going to see a favorite actor was, is, and will always be a reason to go out and see a new movie; there is a certain allure to a film that promotes itself on raw star power. Many movies attempt to place all the eggs in one basket by hiring numerous A-list actors and celebrities to draw people back into the theater seats. Only a few movies rise to the occasion by complementing the actors with a great plot; examples would include the commercial and critical successes of Oppenheimer (2023), Avatar (2009), and The Dark Knight (2008). These movies allowed their star actors opportunities to shine alongside each other in a thoughtful and meaningful way, but other movies simply attempt to sell their product only by highlighting how many great actors they can afford. Examples include great actors like Russell Crowe, who was accused of phoning it in for his performance in The Mummy (2018), or how Robert De Niro was seen to have tarnished his legacy by starring alongside Zac Efron in Dirty Grandpa (2016).

One actor had been able to subtly use his charm, skills, and subtle brilliance to shine above the rest, regardless of whether he was alone or starring alongside other talented actors. Robert Redford died last week, on Sept. 16, at the age of 89, and closed a long and celebrated 56 year career in television, film, and theater. Beginning his career on Broadway in the late 1950s, he also appeared on a string of television shows. However, his growing acting chops and unapologetic good looks carried him onto the silver screen, where he made his film debut in 1960. As the romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park (1967) premiered, he was easily typecast into the good-looking, blonde male stereotype, but his integrity as an actor outweighed his image as he searched for more unconventional and grittier roles. That unconventionality would be found when he starred alongside Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), as the two portrayed stubborn cowboys in a dying western frontier. The image of Redford as a charismatic, intelligent, and reliable actor allowed Redford for a decade of success in the 1970s. A string of hits would see Redford going back into the solitary western genre with Jeremiah Johnson (1972); a 1950s romance with Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were (1973); a reunion with Paul Newman in the world of 1920s crime in The Sting (1973) would give him the only Academy Award Best Actor Nomination of his career; an adaptation of the classic The Great Gatsby (1974); a CIA spy thriller with Three Days of The Condor (1975); and the politically charged All The President’s Men (1976), where he starred alongside Dustin Hoffman as they portrayed real-life investigative journalists trying to uncover the Watergate Scandal of the Nixon Administration.

By the early 1980s, Redford had become increasingly politically active and was pursuing films with darker subject matter to reflect the materialist American culture he questioned. The result of these motives would culminate in his directorial debut with Ordinary People (1980); it is a film that explores the slow but unstoppable destruction of an upper-middle-class family after one of their sons takes his own life. The movie would be awarded at the Academy Awards with four wins; Redford would take home one Oscar for Best Director. The 1980s and 1990s would show a strong binary effort of Redford the actor and Redford the director. The baseball classic The Natural (1984) and the seven Oscar-winning Out of Africa (1985) would continue to cement Redford as a talented actor, while the Montana-set period drama A River Runs Through It (1992) and the scandalously criminal plot of Quiz Show (1994) would give Redford further respect as a director.

Redford was also known for his outspoken support for environmentalism, Native American rights and recognition, and LGBTQ+ rights; a career in support of the arts and politics would make Redford a constant trustee and councilman on several progressive and social issues. One of the defining testaments to Redford’s legacy was his commitment to the independent film production industry. With the salary he received from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Redford bought a ski resort near Park City, Utah, that he renamed “Sundance” after his character in the film. Redford cultivated a region solely dedicated to independent films, as the Sundance Film Festival is now the United States’ largest annual independent film festival. Largely thanks to Redford’s direction, the Sundance Institute, Sundance Cinemas, Sundance Catalog, and the Sundance Channel are all located in Park City.

Redford was an authentic actor and director who defied the conventional role of a typical actor coasting on his good looks; he was instead someone who pushed the boundaries of topics many did not want to talk about and broadcast his opinions through the medium of film. The subtlety of Redford relied heavily on his ability to have one glance at the camera, and the audience would not just see his piercing blue eyes, but they would see the truths, dreams, and frustrations of American society, which did not want to see its reflection on the silver screen.