When Tom meets Summer, his dream girl, he falls hard and fast, despite Summer’s insistence that she does not want a serious relationship. When Summer breaks things off, Tom reflects on their relationship to try and figure out what went wrong.
(500) Days of Summer quickly points out that this is not a love story. Even when Tom and Summer are at their peak happiness, we can see it’s clearly not love, at least not from the viewpoint of Summer. Tom is oblivious to Summer’s cooling affection because he’s happy and in love, so we take the journey with him as he struggles to figure out what caused the demise of their relationship.
I really loved that this film is not linear. It bounces back and forth through various points (days) of Summer and Tom’s relationship, and while we already know the ending, this unconventional storytelling approach keeps things interesting. As Tom, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is extremely likable, and I am sure anyone who has experienced heartbreak can relate to his maddening inability to see how wrong Summer is for him.
Zooey Deschanel was the perfect actress to play the part of Summer. This kind of role could easily have teetered into the manic-pixie dream girl trope, but Summer has depth and an actual personality that make her feel like a fully realized person. She’s honest and independent, and she doesn’t seem to have a romantic bone in her body.
More than that, she does not exist solely for Tom to mature and grow as a man (though he does); she is also a person in her own right. While she does have her charms, Summer can also come across as somewhat unlikable. She told Tom she is not interested in a boyfriend or anything serious, yet she allows it to happen anyway. She knows how Tom feels about her, and when he walks away, she pulls him back in.
I’ve seen numerous commentaries on this movie where Summer is portrayed as the villain, but I disagree. I don’t necessarily think anyone in this movie is the “bad guy.” They both make questionable decisions – Summer continues the relationship, knowing she does not feel the same way for Tom that he feels for her, and Tom places unrealistic expectations on their relationship. But that is what makes (500) Days of Summer so good. It’s a story about human relationships. Sometimes they don’t work out, and there isn’t always one person to blame.
(500) Days of Summer is unique and sharply written, with on-point performances from Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt. Director Marc Webb pulls us into the rom-com world with a delightful musical number, some black-and-white fantasies, and animated, lovesick birds. And then he yanks us back into the real world, full of disappointment and days where it’s hard enough to get out of bed, let alone get dressed and face life without someone you thought was The One. Expectations versus reality. Rom-coms are usually meant for us to revel in the expectations, but every now and then, a movie comes along that forces us to face reality, and we are better for it. (500) Days of Summer is one of those movies.
Watched: 01/17/2025
Notable Song: Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap
