I don't know about you, but I'm still on a bit of a Joseph Gordon-Levitt high post-The Dark Knight Rises (I mean, sans-spoilers, of course, wasn't he fantastic in it?). And it's a high I don't see myself coming down from any time soon, honestly, considering the busy actor has us in anticipation of yet another three projects scheduled for release later this year (Premium Rush, Looper, and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln).
While there are obviously quite a number of movies that come to mind when thinking of the talented young star—10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Inception (2010), and last year's 50/50 (which I may have bawled in the theater during, yeah)—there is one in particular that kind of stole my heart more than the rest. The debut film of Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man), co-starring New Girl's Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer features JGL as Tom, a charming hopeless romantic who's almost scarily easy to relate to.
Now, (500) Days of Summer is easily one of my favorite films and by far my favorite romantic comedy for a number of reasons, one of which stands above the rest. And that reason just so happens to be the film's "Expectations vs. Reality" sequence, otherwise known as CFC's very first featured Scene of the Week. Check it out below:
Why We Love It: Because we can absolutely relate. C'mon, you've done this countless times before too—whether it's been before seeing an old fling, before your first day of classes, or even before an interview. We all create these wildly beautiful fantasies of what we want a particular experience to be like, only to have it actually play out in the complete opposite fashion (every now and then, though, if you're lucky, you'll find yourself caught up in a moment when reality is better than the fiction—those moments are nice). I find it pretty impressive and quite powerful, actually, that Webb and company managed to so effortlessly translate such an internal and mental process onto a screen (and to do it well!). The result ends up feeling very human, really, and it hits its emotional beat so well, we feel that pang of loss just as strongly as Tom does.
More Reasons We Love It: Regina Spektor's "Hero" plays in the background. Oh, and JGL, obviously (I think I can confidently say the rising star is easily becoming one of my favorite actors—he's talented and adorable and just so darn easy to watch).
http://custodianfilmcritic.com/scene-of-the-week-expectations-vs-reality-500-days-of-summer-2/
