Scott Neustadter was on hand at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hills not long after Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's "magical" new device in San Francisco. Both will be happy that iTunes has been such a successful tool in delivering movies to entertainment hungry teens.

The decussating story line weaves a nontraditional romance in (500) Days of Summer. The narrative sails along on a intermittent wave of eclectic harmonies that even include a Regina Spektor number. All tracks of which co-writer Scott Neustadter searched for and selected with a keen eye on theme and mood. An insufferable disposition for eighties hits, lead Scott to create a title that paid homage to, in addition too embracing the qualities of parenthetical song titles of the past-- Songs such as T-Rex "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" & U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" offer the inspiration from the mechanics of the title. He says he didn't think it would ever make it to production. How wrong he was.

Mr. Neustadter is one of those honest to goodness good guys. You almost feel a little embarrassed when you figure out that the script for 500 Days is semi auto biographical. And yet, he sits comfortably in his skin as he reveals moments in his life that made for such wonderful melancholy entertainment. As the script with the parenthetical title went to production Scott speaks casually about some of the mind blowing moments, offering-- "...and there we were standing in the park ready to shoot a moment in my life, how surreal is that?"

Its one of the moments that the author later refers to as depicting an "authentic fuse." As opposed to the gimmick driven "Chick Flicks" of the past decade; where the likes of Ben Stiller gets bitten in the crotch by a dog, or ferret, or a tiny civil war general et cetera. Scott took the time to outline his interests in the narrative mechanisms and romantic plotting and conflict of Annie Hall and The Graduate. He had a past drenched in the education of historically significant movies. But it wasn't until Scott caught wind of "Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould" that he decided to bash out the script.

Mr. Neustadter also alluded to the fact that the story is based on two previous relationships. A moment that brought about an anecdote involving one of his past girl friends liking the story and subsequently congratulating him on his success. While the other-- "defriended" him on FB. ("O.M.G!).

Scott jested about his desire to break into the movie industry-- "It was this or laws school" before making it apparent that his vaulting ambition to write a story, was a priority. Outlining his admiration for Cameron Crowes movies-- I began to realize he has found a kindred spirit in the Lloyd Dobler character of Camerons Say Anything. In addition to his exquisite work with the music, such as the tunes from Hall & Oates (You Make My Dreams), its the contrasting styles of music that engage the audience and alter the tone-- the thumping beats of The Temper Trap (Sweet Disposition) which drives the piece very effectively.

When provoked Scott explained that the road to production wasn't easy-- he states that "experience is worth its weight in gold." That road might be a hard slog for four years or more, but if a hit movie is the result then consider his path to success as fresh as a Sunday morning breeze.
Its an unconventional story, about a regular guy who suffered at the hands of unrequited love (twice). Its a major summer success. California (Hollywood) truly is a "magical" place.

Story By: Terry Winders