Laid On Your Back

In the midst of this weekend's monumental snowstorm, I watched "(500) Days of Summer," a satisfactory romantic comedy that tries a bit too hard to be quirky and self-aware. My favorite moment came in an opening scene, when, to establish the beautiful indie charm of the female lead, played by Zooey Deschanel, the narrator said that she quoted Belle and Sebastian's album "The Boy with the Arab Strap" in her high school yearbook notes. And so did I. I had to rewind the scene to be sure I heard correctly! Whereas Deschanel's character took from the title track -- "Color my life with the chaos of trouble" -- I excerpted "Sleep the Clock Around" -- "There's a lot to be done while your head is still young." I still find this line inspiring. Unlike Deschanel's character, my public display of affection for this album didn't lead to a spike in regional sales.

From browsing reviews of the move, I learned the meaning of "Manic Pixie Dream Girl." (Zooey Deschanel is apparently one of the archetypes, particularly in "(500) Days of Summer.") A film critic coined the term in the Onion: "That bubbly, shallow cinematic creature that exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." This is very funny, mainly because this is exactly the sort of woman I wanted to meet when I was 19 years old -- I had confused myself into thinking I was a "broodingly soulful" young man. It's probably why I liked "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Good Will Hunting" so much, though that discredits Minnie Driver's fine acting and the writing in both movies. She was an ambitious, intelligent woman in both roles, unlike the stereotype, who is much less driven, as Deschanel's character was. The male leads, played by John Cusack and Matt Damon, sure were needlessly lost in their own thoughts, though, which is probably why I liked them so much. Luckily, that period is over.

Above is the trailer to "(500) Days of Summer." Thanks to Belle and Sebastian for the post's title. It's part of a lyric from the title song of "The Boy with the Arab Strap."