To Own on DVD: 500 Days of Summer

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Movie Selection: 500 Days of Summer

Audience reception of 500 Days of Summer divides between two camps: those who think Tom is in the wrong or Summer is in the wrong. This led to a deep discussion and analysis online by both camps of their take on the movie’s central relationship.

Despite the audience’s infighting, the movie succeeds in depicting the two characters as realistic depictions of an anxious- & avoidant-attachment couple, which might reflect the audience’s own attachment as they choose between who in the movie was in “the right”.

Fast Play

500 Days of Summer follows our main character Tom who has an immediate infatuation, relationship, and breakup with his love interest Summer. The story is told through the device of switching between the 500 days where Tom is infatuated with her.

Dreaming of being an architect, Tom is settled into his life of listening to the Smiths, complaining to his emotionally intelligent kid sister, and writing greeting cards in an office as an occupation. Meanwhile, Summer recently moved to the area to work as the assistant of Tom’s boss.

Believing her to be his one true love, Tom goes to a karaoke party with his co-workers where Summer reveals she is not looking to have a relationship in contrast to Tom’s wish to date her.

Outside of the party, Summer asks Tom if he has any feelings for her to which he says no. The unresolved feelings are soon revealed as Summer kisses Tom in the copy room of their workplace.

Despite Tom wanting recognition in the relationship, the two start an unofficial relationship where they roleplay in IKEA, recreate pornos, and visit record stores.

Eventually, Summer becomes disinterested. She ends the relationship at a diner, and Tom starts his post-breakup spiral as Summer leaves the company.

They later meet at the wedding of their coworker’s and dance together. Summer invites Tom to a party, which he finds out is an engagement party.

Frustrated with his life, he storms out of his job and starts pursuing his dream of being an architect.

Tom and Summer meet for one last time at Tom’s favorite place in the city where Tom resolves his feelings for Summer.

Waiting for a job interview, Tom meets a new girl Autumn as the movie ends.

Special Features

Tom can be summed up in a line of dialogue about his infatuation with Summer: “I love the way she makes me feels.”

His infatuation with Summer is not from their mutual interest in the Smiths or personality compatibility but the validation he feels from being with her.

The narration in the movie furthers this idea by stating facts as subjective but clearly derive from Tom’s own subconscious. In one scene, the narration talks over Summer’s dream until the point where she credits Tom as someone she can bare her feelings to.

Summer can also be summed up in a quote said by her: “You’re interesting.”

She is involved in Tom’s life because she is bored in her new environment. Tom helps her escape her boredom by entertaining her with dates.

Towards the end of the relationship, Summer shares a desire to get a tattoo to which Tom denies her. Her need of exploration is capped off by his need of validation, which a great exploration of a realistic toxic relationship.

Their common interest in the Smiths is also an interesting story choice: the two characters misinterpret the band’s music as desirable & achievable by Tom or pure escapism by Summer. Media illiteracy characterizes the two in interesting avenue for audiences to relate even to the current day.

The actors of Tom and Summer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Zoey Deschanel respectively, perform well as the two leads. Gordon has a certain charm to keep Tom’s desperation charming enough for the audience to empathize with his breakup.

Meanwhile, Deschanel as Summer comes across as aloof when she is desired and grounded when the reality of their relationship is revealed. Her contributions to the soundtrack with her musical act She & Him is severely understated as the movie plays Deschanel’s phenomenal cover of “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” during the end credits.

The unfortunate limitation of the movie is the limitation of perspectives. Since the story is told through the perspective of Tom, Summer’s character does not get attention as much as his warped idea of Summer being the one for him. She is forward, bored, and fun-loving, yet the audience is left to wonder what did she dream about before Tom became an architect.

Ending Credits

500 Days of Summer is a great movie about the kinds of toxic relationships young adults can find themselves in. It explores just enough of each side to give them grace while leaving room for growth for both the characters.

The discourse around the movie embeds itself in breakup culture: the idea of one person being wrong, the villain, the loser meanwhile the other is being right, the victim, the winner in the long-run.

The movie favors Tom’s experience yet allows Summer’s experience to be as equally valid: both experiences need to be validated for the characters themselves to accept the end of their relationship.

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