Episode 9: (500) Days of Summer (2009)
Episode 9: (500) Days of Summer (2009)
What are the consequences of believing in the idea of a soulmate? How do relationships develop from the first day to the last? How well does the reality in our heads match the reality in the world? Paul and Eli consider these questions, and more, in their analysis of (500) Days of Summer, the 2009 romantic comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
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Hosted, produced, and edited by Paul Eastwick and Eli Finkel.
Intro
1:00: (Eli) Who are the characters and couples?
2:30: (Paul) 1-minute plot recap
3:45: What is our relationship to this movie?
What the movie gets right
5:10: (Eli) The biased stories that we tell ourselves about love
Finding virtues in a partner’s faults study by Dr. Murray
Rose-tinted glasses, the jaundiced eye, and forgiveness study by Dr. Luchies
Creating a narrative to recover from breakup study by Dr. Bourassa
9:10: (Eli) Similarity doesn’t really predict attraction
Perceived vs. actual similarity and attraction study by Dr. Tidwell
11:50: (Paul) Relationships often start before people get together and end well after they break up—or, why this movie isn’t called “(260) Days of Summer”
Tracking the full relationship arc review by Dr. Eastwick
14:35: (Paul) The ominous implications of having a partner who no longer plays along with the relationships in-jokes
Language convergence study by Dr. Brinberg
15:55: (Eli) People have different attachment styles with different people
Attachment anxiety and avoidance across significant others study by Dr. Baldwin
18:05: (Paul) The circumstances of a romantic relationship influences how people function in everyday life
Goal-related benefits when an unsupportive relationship ends study by Dr. Gomillion
Misconceptions in the movie
20:05: (Paul) Career success doesn’t have much influence on how appealing somebody is
22:20: (Eli) Believing in “soulmates” is linked to relationship difficulties
Soulmate (or “destiny”) beliefs and relationship difficulties study by Dr. Knee
25:20: (Paul) Imposing meaning on randomness doesn’t make it any less random
28:55: (Eli) Our biased worldviews are hard to change
“Are we ok with this?”
29:45: (Paul) The introductory sequence sets a dark, perhaps misogynistic tone for the rest of the film
30:45: (Eli) Summer is not a fleshed-out character; the movie fails the Bechdel test
34:10: (Eli) Is Tom’s sexual innuendo at work acceptable given his higher status in the org chart
35:55: (Eli) Lots of gender essentialism
Relationship Quotes!
37:00: (Paul) We can’t promise how we’ll feel tomorrow
39:50: (Eli) “She’s just not that into him”
What do we wish we knew?
41:45: (Eli) Might soulmate beliefs sometimes function an early threshold for deciding whether there’s any chance of compatibility?
44:10: (Paul) How can we tell if somebody is falling in love with a person vs. with the idea of a person?
45:05: (Eli) Under what circumstances are people “ready” for a relationship
Commitment readiness study by Dr. Agnew
Stars (1–5): Both hosts rate the quality of the movie
Rusbults (1–5): Both hosts rate the accuracy of the movie’s ideas about relationships
Music by Andrew Fraker and Sons
Artwork by Katie Keil