MovieChat Forums > (500) Days of Summer (2009) Discussion > The Expectations vs. Reality scene

The Expectations vs. Reality scene

posted 10 years ago by otr91
6 replies | jump to latest

This movie is one of my all time favourite 'rom-coms' (if you can call it that), and possibly my favourite scene is the one where it has the split-screen and that great backing track (I don't know the singer/song, though I'm sure everyone else does) showing Tom's expectations on one side and reality on the other. I feel like everyone goes through this in their lives many times with romantic situations - I know I certainly do - and the reality can be so cruel and harsh like it is with Tom here. It made me cry watching that scene, about how inevitable it is that Tom's ideal situation will never come true... he's given hope when he reunites with Summer at the wedding, and it all comes crashing down again, causing him to flee into the distant city (loved the comic book-esque transformation here), lost in an abyss of emotional pain

It felt really personal and painful, and poignant

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] TheRandum1 10 years ago

That's always been my favorite scene in the movie. I agree with everything you said. I have that mindset every time. And the way it was done in the movie was so artistically beautiful. And the song is Hero by Regina Spektor

[–] nick_reynolds2011 10 years ago

Yeah that was a great scene. Best scene in the film probably. We all envision these perfect expectations & scenarios in our heads, but as the person said above me, so often times those expectations are met with cold, hard reality.

[–] OldFriendOfTheChristys 10 years ago

I remember seeing this film for the first time and being completely obliterated by it—especially this scene. I remember wanting—needing—to cry, but my mother was with me so I wanted to hold off until after I dropped her off. And boy, did I cry. Did I ever.

[–] chas437 9 years ago

That's one of the best films scenes I've seen in decades, its an emotional wallop.

500 Days isn't a romcom.

[–] absar_austin 9 years ago

i'm not 100% sure if it was the best scene in the movie, frankly haven't really sat down and thought about it... but it was an unbelievably unique scene... and regina spektor stole the scene with her song...

my favourite dialogue in the movie is when she says in the end - What I was never sure of with you... I mean I could hear a shovel hitting JGL in the head... it was that loud and powerful... amazing seriously