Meh, I guess some things just hit too close to home regardless of quality and make for an unpleasant experience.
The fact that it gets that kind of reaction does say it's a well made movie. Good art is something that provokes thought and elicits a genuine emotional response, even if it isn't necessarily a pleasant one.
The screenwriter's inspiration for the film: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1209556/500-Days-Summer-Revenge-writing-film-girl-dumped-you.html?ITO=1490
Have you seen the movie? If you have, then you should know that you're wrong.
Also, I've read ZERO articles that mention Garden State in comparison to this movie.
Plot of Garden State: Medicated actor returns home for the first time in years because his mother passed away. While there, he meets a woman that changes his life, etc.
Plot of 500 Days of Summer: Greeting card writer gets dumped by his girlfriend, so he retraces key moments of their relationship in order to figure things how/where things went wrong.
You can't even say that the plots are similar, because they aren't. None of the dialogue is similar. Literally the ONLY thing that is similar is the headphones scene, and even that is different. The style and tone of the films is COMPLETELY different. 500 Days is breezy (yet still emotionally resonant) and much more stylized, including a dance number, animation, a split-screen segment, a broken-up/fragmented chronology. Garden State isn't anything like that.
By now I suppose I should've realized that this argument is futile, but I just find it utterly ridiculous that you actually think that 500 Days actually ripped off Garden State or that the movies are even that similar, especially when you usually seem like an intelligent guy. I actually wish this thread would have more discussion about the movie it's about, instead of mentioning Garden State, because I don't think the comparison is apt. But of course I'm to blame for this just as much as anyone, because I'm furthering the talk about it.
But like I said, it's just because I passionately disagree to the point where I'd say your objectively wrong.
http://blog.limewire.com/posts/18727-garden-state-2-er-500-days-of-summer-coming-out-in-july/
http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/film/76439/joseph-gordon-levitt-on-500-days-of-summer
http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/500-days-of-summer.php
Regardless of whether they say the films are the same, the fact that they are being compared proves my initial point. That 500 days of summer is blatently targetting the same audience as Garden State. As well as using the exact same emotional connections with the audience to do it. If they didn't want the comparisons to be made in the 1st place then they'd never have cut the trailer to have the mirroring headphone scene smack you right in the face. So at the very least, they are guilty of exploiting that scene's similarity to Garden State to get people through the door. Which is arguabley even worse.
Not really difficult to find the comparisons is it?
Yes, I've seen it. Yes, I liked it. Yes I preferred Garden State.
The fact they you're targetting specific plot points rather than my initial assertion that the film itself is targetted at the same people that Garden State was shows that you're missing my point.
It takes you on pretty much the exact same journey. The protagonist is effectively interchangable between the two films. He has exactly the same character flaws.
The only difference is the opposite reaction to his feelings for the female lead.
Originally posted by jaden101
http://blog.limewire.com/posts/18727-garden-state-2-er-500-days-of-summer-coming-out-in-july/http://chicago.timeout.com/articles/film/76439/joseph-gordon-levitt-on-500-days-of-summer
http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2009/07/500-days-of-summer.php
Regardless of whether they say the films are the same, the fact that they are being compared proves my initial point. That 500 days of summer is blatently targetting the same audience as Garden State. As well as using the exact same emotional connections with the audience to do it. If they didn't want the comparisons to be made in the 1st place then they'd never have cut the trailer to have the mirroring headphone scene smack you right in the face. So at the very least, they are guilty of exploiting that scene's similarity to Garden State to get people through the door. Which is arguabley even worse.
And like I said before, that's marketing. Nearly every movie does this. Inglourious Basterds' trailer made it look like a Brad Pitt action movie to get people in the door, when it was anything but. So yes, I don't disagree that whoever was marketing the film wanted to target people who liked Garden State so that their film would be seen, but why is that so bad? Like MP said earlier, if the movie ends up being good, what's the problem?
Originally posted by jaden101
Not really difficult to find the comparisons is it?Yes, I've seen it. Yes, I liked it. Yes I preferred Garden State.
The fact they you're targetting specific plot points rather than my initial assertion that the film itself is targetted at the same people that Garden State was shows that you're missing my point.
It takes you on pretty much the exact same journey. The protagonist is effectively interchangable between the two films. He has exactly the same character flaws.
The only difference is the opposite reaction to his feelings for the female lead.
Well, it's just that you're talking about two separate things. The former being the target audience/marketing and the latter being the movies themselves "taking you on the exact same journey." I'm disagreeing with the latter, which is more what my last post was about.
Judging by the fact that I had much different emotional reactions to these films, I can't help but disagree with your argument that it "takes you on the same journey."
And I don't think the protagonists are interchangeable, but if you're willing I'd like to hear you expand on your point that they have the same flaws.
When it comes down to it, this is the statement that I really disagree with:
"I think it's more than that. I think this film was written and made to mimic Garden State's success by targetting the same people who liked it."
If you read the article above where the writer talks about why he wrote the movie, it should be crystal clear that there was no attempt to copy or emulate or mimic Garden State's success. He wrote it because of his real-life relationship/experiences.
And as for being "made to mimic Garden State by targetting the same people who liked it" I think that's ridiculous as well. The director didn't spend two years of his life, putting passion and genuine work into the film for the sole purpose of mimicing Garden State because there'd be a similar target audience for the film when the finished product was ready to go.
I just think it's dumb to say that either the writer or director had Garden State in mind when they created this film. Especially the writer.
Judging by the fact that I had much different emotional reactions to these films, I can't help but disagree with your argument that it "takes you on the same journey."
For me, only at the way the relationship ended up.
If you read the article above where the writer talks about why he wrote the movie, it should be crystal clear that there was no attempt to copy or emulate or mimic Garden State's success. He wrote it because of his real-life relationship/experiences.
You're showing a lot of naivity about what film makers say in interviews as influences on their work.
And even if his writing of it was genuine, the people who funded the film no doubt saw the comparisons and exploited it.
I don't really have to justify it anymore given that i've already shown that their are tons of articles comparing the two. Whether you disagree that they are similar or not doesn't negate that fact.
I just think it's dumb to say that either the writer or director had Garden State in mind when they created this film. Especially the writer.
I don't.
I just got around to seeing it and really enjoyed it. Loved how it flipped the conventions of the romance around, showing it from a guys point of view. And how you, as the objective viewer, see a rift in their relationship and chemistry from the start, despite his claims that they're soul mate. Some very poignant stuff in the movie. One of the better movies of 09 I think.
Both leads were great as well.
Also, as far as this weird conversation about 500 days and Garden State, can't say I see the similarity, before reading this conversation I never even thought to compare one to the other as they're very different, other than they're both kinda indie takes on the romance genre. I do think 500 Days is much better and infinitely more original and poignant than Garden State, which very much flowed like a typical romance with a little quirckiness thrown in for the **** of it.
He has been an excellent actor for some time now. 😛 Off topic a bit, I believe Levitt is one who could take over the Joker role from Ledger if they bring the character back in future Batman films. Also the director of 500 Days of Summer is making the new Spiderman films, wonder if they change a lot, good choice?
Definitely nothing like Garden State, agree with that Backfire. 500 Days of Summer is indeed a wonderful film.