(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Director: Marc Webb
Story: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
Cast: Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Zooey Deschanel,
Music: Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen 
Time: 95 minutes
Bottom-line: Realistic, funny and charming 

This is not a love story. It is a story about love.
That one line is the foundation upon which the film is built, and it is also the main reason why I liked the film – the way it distinguishes between the two terms. The voiceover makes it clear from the beginning that this film is not going to be like any other romance film, and the director and crew stick to it. (500) Days of Summer is a refreshingly new look at rom-coms, boosted by stellar performances by Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.
The boy: Tom Hansen (JGL) is a trained architect, but works at a greeting card company in LA. The girl: Summer Finn (Deschanel), the new assistant to Tom’s boss. She immediately catches the attention of everyone at the office, and one night, in a drunken state, Tom’s friend reveals to her that Tom is attracted to her. Over the next few months, they grow closer to each other, but Summer insists that she does not want a boyfriend. The film explores the relationship over the course of 500 days, which are narrated to us in a non-linear fashion.

JGL as Tom (left) and
Deschanel as Summer. This is
the scene where they first meet

The 500 day period covers all the ups and downs of the relationship between Tom and Summer. They first talk in the elevator, then become friends, then get really close, eventually get into a fight, break up, and move on, with a slight twist at the end (which reminds me of John Keats’ Ode: To Autumn!). The turning point of their relation is day #290, when they break up. So the non-linear narration shows us incidents before and after that day, to bring out the contrast in Tom’s feelings – for example, first we see how he describes different aspects of Summer, giving a reason for liking each one, and later we see him describing the same aspects, but giving a reason to hate the very same aspects! The story felt realistic, and all emotions were exactly as one would expect in real life – it’s not an ideal relationship, and all the problems one gets in a “love at first sight” relation are explored here.

(500) Days of Summer is the film that almost single-handedly revived Gordon-Levitt’s acting career in style. After a hiatus from acting to pursue education, JGL returned to Hollywood with this film being his first major performance post his break. He seems to be the perfect actor for playing “the boy” in rom-coms – he has the sensitivity, charm and humour required for it. The scene where he breaks down in front of his co-workers is one to look out for. Zooey Deschanel plays “the girl”, and her character is tricky to understand – to see her get so intimate with Tom and then break up with him may make you hate her, even more so when she ends up marrying someone else, but when she says “One day I woke up and I was sure of something I was never sure of with you,” it shows that your partner need not respond to a relation the same way you do. All relationships are chosen by fate, and sometimes it may turn out that in your life, love is just a fantasy. Sometimes it takes 500 days to realise it, but if you are lucky, day #500 with one person can give way to a day #1 with another...

So, being replete with humour and charm, (500) Days of Summer is a rom-com that you should not miss. It does not have big stars, or a classic storyline, but it sure is realistic, and unforgettable!

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 86%  

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Director: Rob Reiner

Story: Nora Ephron

Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan

Music: Marc Shaiman, Harry Connick Jr.

Time: 96 minutes

Bottom-line: A new, interesting approach to rom-coms

One of the classics of the rom-com genre, When Harry Met Sally… is based on the question “Can a man and a woman ever be just friends?” Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan star in the lead roles, with Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby in the supporting cast.

Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?

1977, University of Chicago: Graduates Harry Burns (Crystal) and Sally Albright (Ryan) share a drive to New York, where Harry wants to start a career and Sally wants to pursue journalism. As they drive, Harry puts forth a theory that men and women can never be “just friends” because “the sex part gets in the way”, which Sally strongly disagrees to. They part at New York on unfriendly terms. However, 5 years later, they happen to be on the same flight. Each of them has a new partner now. Harry suggests that they be “friends”, contradicting his earlier theory, and they part again, agreeing that they will never be friends. 5 years further down the road, they meet each other at a bookstore, both of them now single again. They decide to be “friends”, and hang out regularly. Does this relationship ever go to “the next level”?

 

Ryan as Sally, and Crystal as Harry (the iconic scene)

The characters Harry and Sally were based on Crystal and Ephron, respectively. Ephron created the structure of the film with a lot of the dialogue based on the real-life friendship between Reiner and Crystal. The numerous bits of dry humour are well-written, and the comic timing is perfect. Ephron went on to win the BAFTA Award and receive an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay. The film also features in the top 25 positions of the best romances and comedies of the 20^th century, in the lists made by the AFI. The dinner table scene (which Meg Ryan willingly repeated over and over when shooting, just to entertain!), and the customer’s line “I’ll have what she’s having”, have become famous too.

The chemistry between Crystal and Ryan is undeniably powerful. You just know that they are meant to be with each other but the storyline so tantalisingly says otherwise. Billy Crystal plays the calmer (almost emotionless) of the two, with a constant deadpan expression, while Ryan packs in a lot of emotion and energy into her role (again, look out for the dinner scene!). The story is interspersed with shots of various couples (unrelated to the story) narrating the tales of how they met before marriage, which sort of makes the main track stand out in contrast.

Another film that seems to be based on similar lines is 500 Days of Summer, which came in 2009; of course, that storyline is quite different, but the premise is the same. Whether or not you agree with Harry’s principles, and whether or not you think the ending is too tame (you might end up saying, “Of course this had to happen, what’s the big deal?”), the ride you go on is entertaining and funny all the way. Watch the film for the amazing performances by Crystal and Ryan, and Ephron’s script. 

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%

Hindi Medium (2017)

Director: Saket Chaudhary

Story: Zeenat Lakhani and Saket Chaudhary

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal

Music: Sachin-Jigar

Time: 132 minutes

Bottom-line: A family comedy with a powerful message; one of the best of 2017!

The 2017 comedy-drama film by Saket Chaudhary gives a much-needed wake-up call to all the parents in India who dream of a good schooling for their children. The film stars Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar in the lead roles, with Deepak Dobriyal, Swati Das and Deshita Sehgal in the supporting roles. Hindi Medium is one of the highest grossing Indian films till date.

Raj Batra (Khan) is an opulent businessman with his own boutique at Chandni Chowk, Delhi. He lives with his wife, Mita (Qamar), and his daughter, Pia (Sehgal). Raj is simple, unaware of the ways of the rich, while Mita is far more sophisticated. Both of them want their daughter to study in a top English-medium school in Delhi. Their primary target is Delhi Grammar School, which grants admission only to people within a 3-kilometre radius, so the family shifts to a new house. When they find out that parents are also interviewed for the admission, they take up “coaching”, but it fails to work. Raj tries to illegally get admission through the RTE Act, meant for the families with low earnings. When the school starts to catch parents who involve in this illegal activity, Raj and Mita have no choice but to pose as a poverty-stricken family. Does it work? Or are they exposed?

 

Irrfan as Raj (left), Sehgal as Pia, and Qamar as Mita

To be honest, education in India is slowly becoming a nightmare, and Hindi Medium gives an insight into the convoluted process of getting a kindergarten admission! Stories of parents waiting in long queues throughout the day, stories of parents taking counselling etc., while possibly slightly exaggerated in the film, are not far from reality. As the consultant says, “Parents approach me when the mother is pregnant!”, this could soon be the case in India. Various social issues are also addressed in the film. In such a posh society where the Batras live, children are judged by their parents’ behaviour, and parents are judged by the wealth they possess. Raj has to curb his enthusiasm and rustic instincts just to appear urbane in front of other parents so that it does not reflect badly on Pia.

 

Irrfan as Raj and Deepak as Shyam

Raj and Mita fall prey to the fact that they have to live up to their social status, even if means lying day in and day out. Living with the poor when actually rich, and pretending to have gone on a French holiday to impress the rich neighbours is indeed a crooked way to go about life. This is in stark contrast with the honest and down-to-earth life of Shyam Prakash (Deepak) and family, their neighbours in the slum. He offers them water when no one else does, and even gets himself injured to pay for Pia’s education. The bittersweet smile you see on his face when he is happy that Pia got admission but his own son didn’t, and the guilty smile on Raj and Mita’s faces will certainly make you feel uncomfortable in your seats. At a time when everyone considers their own selfish interests first, can someone truly be as unselfish and friendly as Shyam?

Hindi Medium also showcases one of the best performances of Irrfan Khan, Saba Qamar and Deepak Dobriyal. There are numerous scenes to look out for, from those involving the sarcastic humour that I like Irrfan Khan for, to his heart-warming speech in the climax. A tale that highlights what makes one truly human – the sacrifices, the emotions, the love – against the backdrop of Indian education and class hierarchy, Hindi Medium is one of the most enlightening films of recent times.

My Rating: 4.5/5