Sick Day

Hey everyone. You'll have to excuse whatever mess this post turns into. I have a nasty cold and I'm taking the day to lay on the couch with junk food and watch a movie. This is different from other days because I'll feel gross while doing it. I'm going to start with (500) Days of Summer and then I might try to end the LOTR trilogy.

I haven't watched (500) Days of Summer for a long time. It always makes me think a lot. I've also been meaning to watch Annie Hall, which I've been told is the earlier, superior version of Summer. Anyways, I'm about to watch the movie with fresh eyes. For the first time I'm going to watch it as someone who's deeply interested in screenwriting and characterization. Since the last time I watched it I also learned about the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG) trope. For those of you who might not know, the MPDG is type of character. They're eccentric, bubbly, and girlish. They tend to be the love interest of the brooding, depressive male lead. They usually flit into the male's life for a while and encourage them to be more carefree and fun loving.

I hate this. I don't hate the MPDG, I hate the fact that the classification exists. It's as if women can't be who they want. It implies that they're only around to enhance the man's life and they don't have their own aspirations. Everyone has some aspiration of their own. Summer doesn't want to be with Tom but that doesn't make her a blank page. I think that the reason she's so often cited as a classic MPDG is because the story is from Tom's perspective and that's how Tom sees her. Unfortunately, many people don't seem to be able to view movies from perspectives other than the one presented.

I believe in the idea that books belong to their readers. I believe that every reader brings themselves to the story and reads it in their own way. That's part of what makes stories special and the same applies to movies. So I realize that it's stupid and condescending of me to comment on the way other people view movies but I wish that they would put themselves in the place of other characters more often. So I guess that's the moral and conclusion of the post. I hope you're all staying healthy and away from me. And don't forget to go buy some of that After Valentine's Day chocolate.