I got this letter from a reader a few days ago and it made me smile:
My point here is the movie put me in a funk and then reading your take on the possible existence of that type of guy made it worse. I think guys like that can and do exist, and maybe you find yourself disappointed in discovering that the 20 something kind of nerdy guys that you meet just don’t measure up to the J G-L standard because you’ve been misidentifying them in the first place. Where they actually good at something? Did they have dimples (you can’t undervalue the pleasantness of face with dimples, that shit works)? I felt like I had more to say but now I’m just tired. I hate Zooey Deschanel this week, and that’s hard to do to a person with such nice eyes. He never should have taken her to The Graduate, that shit makes everyone sad. Don’t give up hope and stop falling for rocker guys.”
This prompted my friend Dave to re-read my piece on types of guys and (500) Days Of Summer on thisrecording.com (which you can read here: In Which There Are Two Types Of Guys if the mood strikes you, I don’t recommend it) which lead to a heated and friendly discussion about Lloyd Dobler vs. Tom/JGL:
DAVE: Tom from 500 Days is really that adorable? I mean, Lloyd Dobler-esque? I saw that movie, and sister, he aint no Lloyd. I think you’re confusing a well planned vest/tie combo with inner cute.
ME: Yeah, Tom is better than Lloyd, buddy. Welcome to 2010. The John Cusack thing is getting old.
DAVE: Holy shit.
ME: John Cusack is old. We want someone new.
DAVE: Is this the end of our friendship?
ME: Boomboxes are old. “In Your Eyes” is a shitty song.
DAVE: No it’s not, and it’s more recent than “This Charming Man.” [Note: Dave I don’t think anyone sang that Smiths song in (500 ) Days but whatever.] ALSO Lloyd is more proactive than Tom because he went out and got Diane.
ME: Wait it’s not Tom’s fault that Zooey Deschanel is a bitchface. Diane Court is better than Summer.
DAVE: What did Tom do [to win her over]? Sing a Pixies song at a bar?
ME: Oh please. If you’re going to go there, “Here Comes Your Man” is better than “In Your Eyes.” And have you seen Say Anything lately? I mean actually watched it? It’s not that awesome. It’s kind of boring. Frasier’s dad goes to jail. It’s a weird movie.
DAVE: I watched it a month ago. Also, I watched an Oscar screener of (500) Days and wanted to throw a brick through my TV.
ME: Oh excuse me Dave, I’m so sorry that your Oscar screener wasn’t up to par.
DAVE: It was my roommate’s!
Then Dave had to leave because he needed to video chat with his dad or something. I know, right? Whatever dude.
Anyway. My point is that this idealized vision of love as John Cusack personified needs to stop. Actually that’s not my main point. But it’s one of them. I think my real point is that I watch too many movies and I need to stop before something dangerous happens. (500) Days Of Summer may have been praised for being a “real” look at love in the same way “Annie Hall” was but they’re both highly stylized films and their depictions of love aren’t any more realistic than a Disney film’s.
Or something, I don’t know. Ask your mom.
Ooh You Hurt Me So — Clare and the Reasons
That’s All (Genesis cover) — Clare and the Reasons
Photograph — Clare and the Reasons
Diane Court is a million times better than Summer. Also, J G-L creeps me out, because he looks like a zoomed in 8 year old, with 2 and a half facial expressions. Oy
That is a really strange description and yet it's totally accurate.
So… would both JGL and John Cusack be Manic Pixie Dream BOYS? Or do we need to make up a new name?
zoomed in 8yo… strange, to be certain, but true.
The girl that recently gutted me like a fish in matters of the heart was the real-life version of Summer. Seriously, this movie could possibly be the result of a brain scan done on me in my sleep.
this flick got me riled up for some reason. all the critics loved it but the characters were so unlikable. the girl was an asshole and the guy was a dumb dumb.
meanwhile, critics dumped on away we go, which came out at basically the same exact time, and it barely got a wide release (only one theater in CHICAGO was showing it) and honestly that movie was about 10 times better if only because the characters were realistic and great.
To much for me didnt even want to see it.
http://www.allmylittlewordsonline.com/
im still getting over the fact this post just referred to joseph gordon levitt as J G-L. I know its easier and all to abrev. the name- but really???
oh and i never finished watching my screener version of "500 DOS" because it sucked. i just kept thinking the whole time "like whatever man, why do people keep saying this is the best movie ever?"
it was too wannabe indie for me.
and i couldnt relate. sorry i dont act like that. nor do i know anyone who does.
stop forcing it so much.
barf.
ps i agree with retro trasher completely! i loved away we go. beautiful ending.
hey but did anyone see Cusack in 2012? Now that was more realistic.
Have you seen that SNL skit (ha! Yes, I just asked that) where J Go-Lev (my personal preferred abbreviation) actually plays Lloyd Dobbler and reenacts the infamous boombox scene, but with Jason Sudeikis as an annoying neighbour that can't leave him alone?
Anyway, this post reminded me of that. As for JGL/Tom vs John Cusack/Lloyd, I don't think I can pick a side! I feel like I should watch both movies again to decide.
I agree with you, and you've written a great post about it !
Syar I did see it and thought it was kind of awesome. I loved when they had the Genesis "reunion" at the end.
Thanks guys!
So I realize I’m getting to all of these posts really late because apparently the coolest thing in life is to never discover anything on the internet until someone shoves it in your face, then obsess about it for days on end and do nothing but go back and read every single post not that I’m a creeper stalker whatever.
John Cusack/Lloyd Dobler will always have my heart. I own a black and white poster of Lloyd holding up the boombox. Why am I 19 years younger than Cusack? WHY GOD WHY.
I haven’t seen (500) Days. So I can’t really comment on that or JGL WHO BY THE WAY looked f’ing amazing in Inception. Flipped my shit all over the place.
Any way – Diane Court, I kind of hate you. At least you grew up to look really awkward with big teeth. And what was with Lloyd just following you while you follow your dreams? You don’t even have a dream beyond going to England. I want them to make a sequel, called Say Nothing, about how Lloyd and Diane’s relationship fell apart because she fell in love with her British professor and he ends up with the kids and the bills. MAKE THAT FILM, k thanks bye.