Intro by Maria

In this episode, Brandon and I discuss the 2009 film 500 Days of Summer. Here’s what that movie is about: Tom, a young guy who is obsessed with falling in love, “falls in love” (and I’m doing air quotes) with Summer. The film follows the 500 days of Tom being “in love”—again, air quotes—with Summer.

During that time, Tom wants nothing more than a true relationship with Summer, even though Summer from the start tells him she doesn’t want a relationship. When they break up, Tom is in shambles, especially after he finds out Summer is engaged and getting married. Coming from someone who clearly stated she was NOT interested in relationships, this is shocking for Tom, and he basically becomes one of those whiny little boys who doesn’t understand how he, a nice boy, didn’t eventually get the girl. As if that’s the only thing that counts.

Listen, the movie isn’t entirely horrible. There are bits of truth in there about relationships, and Brandon and I can relate to a lot of the things shown in this film, especially the link between identity and the type of music or films you enjoy.

However, this movie also has something in it that is annoying, and that’s the manic pixie dream girl. If you don’t know, the manic pixie dream girl, or MPDG, mepejdg, is a female character that only exists to further a man in some way, whether that is by teaching him about life or saving him from his wretched manly self.

During the episode we talk a lot about this and the movie, so I’m not going to give it all away now. You’ll just have to stay tuned to this next episode of Peculiar Picture Show.

Brandon: Not first time seeing this, but this movie is “right up my alley”; hipster film; main characters are real musicians

Maria: Movie not on our list–decided to continue this “nice guy” movie idea; not first time seeing this

Brandon: Hipster aspects; identity in music; relatable on numerous levels; points out the hypocrisy of feminist hipster men; the way the story was told and artistic choices

Maria: Indie music cred; unconventional storytelling; some truth in attraction and love here; entertaining flick

Brandon: Wanted Summer to stand up for herself more; a lot of stories about guys like Tom

Maria: Ending

Brandon: So-called feminist men who are actually horrible; problems with being an ally and associating that with identity (for some); Tom benefited from a culture that oppresses women even though he calls himself an ally

Maria: Manic pixie dream girl (MPDG)

Maria: All of the movies about women being obsessed with men make women out to be serial killers. They don’t ever get the “you were right! You should have boiled my rabbit!” speech. They’re just crazy.

Inglourious Basterds (2009) vs. Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Intro by Brandon

Lady Bird is probably one of my favorite movies. It’s a Millennial coming of age story, and it’s written and directed by a real Millennial—something we haven’t seen in a lot of similar stories. As such, there are a lot of personal touches in the film that a lot of us Millennials dealt with growing up that are hard to describe but, oddly, easy to relate to. Couple that with some smart humor and you’ve got a pretty amazing film.

The plot follows Christine McPherson, or Lady Bird, as she has named herself. Lady Bird is a senior in high school who wants to leave her hometown and be her own person. To do that, though, she has to deal with her own academic ineptitude, her youthful naivety, a major financial recession, and a mother who just doesn’t seem to be pleased with anything she does. None of these things represent an insurmountable task, but the film is more about the journey than the destination and who Lady Bird is along the way.

If you haven’t seen this, it’s an excellent movie, and Maria and I were hard pressed to find anything negative to say about it. It doesn’t spell things out for you, though. Not that it’s particularly hard to understand or enjoy, but there’s more going on here than a story about a teenage girl. The film is subtle and smart in a way that many coming of age films flounder.

Maria spends some time talking about shame, which is something Lady Bird experiences but doesn’t really talk about. The realness of the shame in this film was no doubt helped by the fact that there was a female protagonist, directed and written by a woman—a rarity in the film world. I spend some time talking about how this film encapsulates the experience many Millennials had growing up, and what we’re still putting up with today. Spoiler alert: Millennials put up with a lot growing up, and it’s made many of us reluctant to accept the label.

So, I don’t have a witty lead in for this one, but this is a film that Maria and I both related to on a pretty personal level. I hope you enjoy our thoughts on it in this episode of Peculiar Picture Show, the podcast that talks about movies, maladies, and mental health.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-scientific-underpinnings-and-impacts-of-shame/

Brandon: Instantly related to it; only movie about high school that makes me miss high school

Maria: Takes place in Sacramento, 2002; directed by Greta Gerwig; nominated for several Academy Awards; coming-of-age story; probably biased since we are writers/artists

Brandon: Writing; directing; details; seemed very real, especially about Christian teenagers; humor; the character Lady Bird; relatable

Maria: Out of all films we’ve seen so far, this might be the one I relate to the most; had similar feelings that Lady Bird did, like feelings of shame about house, not having much money, wanting to leave hometown; writing; dialogue; acting; everything

Brandon: Nothing

Maria: Nothing; I can’t imagine someone not enjoying it

Brandon: Emotional labor; Millennial coming-of-age story

Maria: Effects of shame/guilt on mental health

Brandon: Every woman understands the concept of putting in emotional labor to keep other people happy; whereas with men, it’s kinda seen as a virtue to not care about that.

Brandon: That’s what this movie is: a chance for Millennials to define for themselves what [the label of Millennials] means.

Taxi Driver (1976) vs. Almost Famous (2000)