In my opinion, it's a rite of passage for a young cinephile to see a film that absolutely shatters their view of the world. Regardless of whether the film is actually groundbreaking or not, it becomes an innovative, transformative experience that you can't help but obsess over. For young me, that film was Marc Webb's much discussed anti-romantic comedy, (500) Days of Summer (2009).
For those unfamiliar, (500) Days of Summer tells the story of Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a young romantic who falls in love with his eccentrically beautiful coworker, Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). The film chronicles their entire relationship, including their first meeting, depressing breakup, and cathartic goodbye, all of which lasts exactly 500 days.
While the film has its share of detractors, I still find it just as remarkable as I did in high school. The film portrays romance with creative whimsy, allowing us to experience's Tom's ethereal highs and soul crushing lows. Most of all though, the film takes a nonlinear approach, mixing the order of the days to emphasize Tom's biases, distorted memories, and ever changing emotions.
In fact, it's the film's creative portrayal of a devastating breakup that has cemented its cinematic legacy. With iconic scenes such as Tom's exuberant dance number, the karaoke bar outing, and the expectation vs reality scene, (500) Days of Summer has become a common favorite among cinephiles.
However, the film also has a different legacy than being just a fun, indie romance. Instead, many have dubbed the film their favorite "horror" movie, as many viewers see Summer as a devastating monster. Indeed, many of my friends held this exact reaction watching the film, believing Summer to be as worthy of infamy as Freddy Kreuger or Michael Myers.
Of course, not everyone holds this reaction. Many other viewers believe that Tom is actually the film's villain, as his unreliable narration hides much of his toxic behavior. Included among these proponents is Joseph Gordon-Levitt himself, who said in 2024 that Tom is actually the villain, and many fans have misinterpreted the film.
As such, the film has become quite divisive since it's 2009 release. Gordon-Levitt's argument is definitely worth merit, since he actually starred in the movie, but I'm not still not convinced he's correct.
The relationship between Tom and Summer is a complex one rife with both wonderful and heartbreaking moments that make it hard to pick out a "villain." As a fan of the film, I believe that Tom and Summer are both multifaceted figures who make mistakes in their pursuit of love and cannot really be lumped in with the Darth Vaders and Voldemorts of the world.
Nonetheless, I like to have fun with film even when it comes to arguably pointless articles. So in that spirit of fun, I've decided to sort through the entirety of (500) Days of Summer to determine whether Tom or Summer is really at fault.
Before we dive in, let's set the ground rules because what's a fun romcom litigation without rules?
First off, I'll be sorting through these events in chronological order. While the film utilizes nonlinear storytelling for comedic and dramatic effect, putting the film's events in order will give us a more definitive timeline so we can pinpoint Tom and Summer's biggest mistakes. I won't be going through every single day, but I will cover the ones that seem most impactful upon their relationship.
Second, we must acknowledge that Tom is an entirely unreliable narrator. Sure, Summer's name is in the title, but the film is all about Tom. Everything we see and feel comes directly from Tom's point of view. This is really one of the film's biggest points, as it shows how we misremember events based on our current emotional state.
For instance, look at the parallel "She's Like the Wind" scenes. In both, Tom talks about Summer's physical features while the Patrick Swayze song plays in the background. Both scenes are visually the same, only Tom adores everything about Summer in the first and loathes the same attributes in the second. It's a funny revisit, but it also shows just how much Tom's emotional state changes.
Ultimately though, since Tom's point of view is the only one we have, we must take it as fact. Sure, he's obviously embellishing some moments and allowing his emotions to completely overhaul others, but his version is the closest thing we have to truth here.
Lastly, I will try to definitively pick a guilty party. I realize that Tom and Summer are both flawed humans who are both at fault for contributing to an eventually toxic union. But this is another fun exercise, so I will pick who I believe to be the most at fault as objectively as I can.
With those ground rules set, we can fully litigate one of the most discussed movie relationships of all time to determine who is the villain in (500) Days of Summer.
The Days
Before we delve into the titular five hundred days of Summer, it's important that we take a broad look at Tom and Summer's relationship. Although their relationship is broken down into individual days, it can really be divided into five stages: the Introduction/Talking Stage, the Early Relationship/Honeymoon Stage, the Late Relationship/Declining Stage, the Post Breakup/Depression Stage, and, finally, the Recovery Stage.
While there's some overlap in between each one, these are the main stages that define their evolving relationship. I'll go into more detail for each, but for now, it's just an overarching guide to Tom and Summer's relationship.
Stage 1: Introduction/Talking Stage
Like any relationship, there must be an introduction to kick things off. In the movies, this is usually marked by a meet cute, which is an awkward interaction that leads to something more. Afterwards though, there comes the Talking Stage, where each partner gets to know each other and evaluate whether they are a good fit.
In (500) Days of Summer, the Talking Stage plays out like this:
Day 1: Summer is hired at New Hampshire Greetings and becomes Tom's coworker. They do not actually meet today, but Tom is already fascinated with her.
Day 3: Office gossip swirls and Tom hears that Summer is a "bitch." He seems bummed, but we can tell that he's still intrigued.
Day 4: Tom and Summer share an elevator together and bond over their love of The Smiths. It's a brief interaction, but Tom is officially smitten with Summer (if he wasn't already).
Day 8: During Millie's (Patricia Belcher) engagement party, Tom and Summer have their first real conversation. They really hit it off.
Day 22: Tom relays to his friends, Paul (Matthew Gray Gubler) and McKenzie (Geoffrey Arrend), that he's no longer interested in Summer. After some probing, Tom reveals that he's overthinking another slight elevator interaction, showing that he's already getting in his own way.
Day 28: Karaoke Night! This is the biggest stride in Tom and Summer's relationship thus far, as they bond over alcohol and some stellar tracks. They learn they have similarities, both coming from divorced families, but also can't agree on romance, as Tom is an unapologetic romantic and Summer believes love isn't real. They have a good night anyways, but Summer insists that they simply stay friends, which Tom accepts.
Overall, the Introduction of Tom and Summer is characterized by Tom's immediate fascination with Summer. His inner romantic cannot resist Summer's uniqueness, leading him to developing strong feelings before he really gets to know her.
This stage is also capped by a night that clearly shows Tom and Summer are looking for different things from their current lives. This is okay, as long as they keep to their agreement to just remain friends. Speaking of which...
Stage 2: Early Relationship/Honeymoon Stage
After being properly introduced, the next step is officially beginning the relationship. Although getting to know each other continues here, dating begins, as does romantic acts that signify that a couple has formed. I added the "Honeymoon" moniker because the relationship is fresh and exciting at this point, glossing over any flaws that might be lurking beneath the surface.
In the film, their Honeymoon Stage goes as follows:
Day 31: The immediate Monday after their Friday night out, Summer kisses Tom in the copy room, breaking their pact from three days before.
Day 34: Tom and Summer have a fun IKEA date posing as an imaginary married couple. The date goes well, as it concludes in sex at Tom's apartment. This is also followed by the iconic "You Make My Dreams" dance scene, which presumably takes place on Day 35 (thought that's never explicitly said).
Day 45: Tom and Summer talk over the phone at work, giggling and singing to each other. McKenzie questions their sanity.
Day 87: Tom and Summer go to the record store, where Summer offers some questionable Beatles takes. They end up buying a pornographic film and have sex in the shower that night.
Day 95: Tom shows Summer the city's architecture, bringing her to his favorite spot, a park bench that overlooks the city.
Day 109: Tom visits Summer's apartment for the first time nearly 75 days after he brought her to his. It's telling that she's waited so long to bring him here, but it's still a big step in opening herself up to Tom.
Day 118: For the first time, Tom begins to question what he and Summer actually are. He brings it up to Summer, who doesn't want to label their relationship. This is the first crack we see.
Day 167: Tom uses his love for Summer to develop some killer greeting cards, impressing many of his coworkers.
Day 191: Tom and Summer visit an art gallery then the movies. They seem a bit off, but still have a good time.
For most of this stage, we get a relationship that's excitingly passionate. Tom and Summer not only have great chemistry, but they seem to match each other's energy at every moment. They go on spontaneous dates, share intimate sides of themselves, and seem to admire each other deeply.
Although it starts with a surprising kiss (a moment we'll return to later), the next 160 days show two partners enjoying their bond and pushing further into the depths of romance. While Summer refuses to label themselves a couple, she's clearly invested in the pairing to some degree and has enjoyed it thus far.
Stage 3: Late Relationship/Declining Stage
Of course, that freshness can't last forever, leading to the later portion of the relationship. For doomed romances, such as that in this film, this is the Declining Stage, where the faults start to become uncovered. Eventually, they will be too much to ignore and the relationship will end, but not before a good fight or two.
For Tom and Summer, their late relationship commences as such:
Day 259: The Bar Fight. This is another pivotal day, one that marks the clear distinction that this relationship is on the decline. At a bar, Tom and Summer meander through a bored conversation. This is disrupted by a genuine douche (his actual character name by the way) who hits on Summer, which leads to Tom fist fighting the man.
Afterwards, Summer expresses her anger at Tom for acting like a brute. Their fight spirals into whether they're a couple or not with Summer being unwilling to commit to their relationship, which causes Tom to storm out. Summer apologizes later that night, and Tom says that they don't have to label their romance, but he needs some commitment from her. Summer refuses.
This is followed by their day at the park playing the "Penis Game." It's not marked as a separate day again, but it shows that they are still willing to be together.
Day 282: Tom and Summer return to IKEA. They have no spark.
Day 290: The Break Up. On this day, Tom and Summer revisit the record store and see The Graduate (an important romantic subtext in Tom's mind) before breaking up over pancakes. Tom and Summer are officially over.
Although this stage includes the fewest days, it's a lynchpin in why Tom and Summer ultimately fail. The bar fight is obviously everything, as it fully exposes what has been bothering both parties for a long while. Tom needs consistency from Summer, and while she does care about him, she can't commit to him.
As for the breakup itself, this is clearly hinged on Mike Nichols' seminal film The Graduate. This has always been one of Tom's favorite movies, as noted by the narrator. However, the narrator also notes that Tom has misread the ending as many historically did when the film released.
While Tom likely sees the ending as a romantic expression of overcoming those who held them back, Summer sees it as a mistake, a moment of passion without thinking that immediately imprisons Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross' characters.
As such, Summer realizes that despite moments of sincere passion, she and Tom are in their own prison. Thus, Summer ends the relationship.
Stage 4: Post Breakup/Tom's Depression
Once the relationship has ended, we enter the Post Breakup Stage, which is usually characterized by a depression for at least one party. In this film, it's Tom, who is clearly blindsided by Summer's decision. We don't really see much of Summer's reaction to the breakup, so this section will consist mostly of Tom's personal struggle.
In the film, Tom's Post Breakup blues consists of:
Day 303: Two weeks after the breakup, Summer emails Tom stating that they can still be friends (which is typically a terrible idea). If Tom is still delusional enough to think he has a chance, then this should squash those hopes.
Day 314: Tom goes to the movies alone, experiencing a surreal The Seventh Seal parody dream that exposes his inner despair.
Day 321: Tom's depression has been affecting his work, resulting in him being moved to the sympathy section.
Day 345: Tom has one of the worst dates in on screen history that's too cringey to get into here. It's safe to say that he's still not over Summer.
Day 402: Millie's Wedding. Tom appears to be in a more stable condition and is headed to Millie's Wedding, where he runs into Summer. Surprisingly though, the wedding goes well, as the pair rediscover their chemistry and enjoy the festivities together.
Day 408: The Rooftop Party. Tom's hope that has bloomed from the wedding is soon crushed by Summer's surprise engagement. This is also where we see the Expectation vs. Reality scene, which is one of the most beautiful ways I've ever seen disappointment captured on screen.
Day 440: Tom has entered a super depression, ingesting mostly alcohol and junk food. It's unclear how long this has been going on.
Day 442: Tom breaks down at work, claiming that their company enables people from feeling their true emotions. He quits.
Like many, Tom struggles after his relationship with Summer ends. His functionality wavers greatly, as does his feelings for Summer. He's obviously enraged at Summer for ending their relationship, but he still can't help but show interest when they cross paths again.
Ultimately, Tom remains hopeful for far longer than he ever should've been. Although the relationship has clearly ended, he has various levels of hope right until Summer becomes engaged. His inner romantic and deep passions keep him caught in this depression, as he convinces himself that he and Summer can restart, which only sets himself up for more pain. At some point, Tom must move on, as Summer clearly has.
Stage 5: The Recovery Stage
Luckily, Tom's depression doesn't last forever, and he eventually finds his way to Recovery. Like the previous stage, this one is mostly concerned with Tom's journey. In this stage, the Post Breakup feelings are shaken off, and healthy choices are made to put one's life back together. Sometimes this features a bit of regression, but it's really the commitment to moving forward that defines this stage.
For Tom, his Recovery looks like this:
Day 450: Tom visits his sister, Rachel (Chloe Grace Mortez), who advises him to really reevaluate his relationship. He does, realizing that his relationship with Summer featured sincere flaws that he had ignored until now.
Day 456-476: Tom really begins to pick himself up. During this montage, Tom sketches buildings on his apartment walls and applies for architecture jobs. He's rejected a few times, but keeps fighting for his dream.
Day 488: Tom and Summer meet for the last time at his favorite spot, which she now loves. Summer then apologizes for not telling Tom about her new boyfriend before wishing him the best.
Day 500: At an interview, Tom meets a new woman, who's ironically named Autumn. Though we don't know what becomes of Tom and Autumn, we know that his days of Summer are officially over.
Thanks to some good advice, Tom is finally able to see his relationship for what it really was. Although he and Summer shared some beautiful moments, they neared toxic levels too often. Although breaking up was tough, this was the best decision for both parties.
From there Tom grows, pursuing the architecture dreams he had long put off and functioning as an adult again.
However, he stills shares a pivotal moment with Summer on the park bench. During their last conversation, Tom shows his anger and frustration for ever believing in romance. Summer refutes him though, admitting that she was the one who was wrong. She affirms that love is real, but he was just wrong about her.
This scene is crucial because it paints the ending as one of cautious optimism. Tom's interest in Autumn is not a sign of foolish regression, but proves that he has grown. He once again believes in romance, but won't let it blind him like it did with Summer. Whether or not it works out, his pursuit shows that Tom has shaken off his grief and grown without sacrificing who he really is.
The Case Against Tom
Now that we've worked our way through 500 difficult days of Summer, it's time to review the case starting with Tom. Immediately upon review, it's clear that Tom's biggest crime is romanticizing Summer to an unhealthy degree. While his zest for romance is admirable, he puts Summer on a pedestal that she could never really live up to.
For instance, before ever meeting her, Tom is already hooked. This fascination is sweet initially, but also prevents him from really thinking things through. He ignores early red flags, such as her outright admittance to not believing in true love, and pursues her off emotion only. Sure, it's a whirlwind of a romance, but if Tom had really looked at the Summer reasonably, he would've realized this romance was already doomed.
Tom's over romanticization continues throughout the film, especially once Summer and him split. Even though Summer has clearly ended things, he still holds out lingering hope, which becomes strongest after they reunite at Millie's wedding. While it is a great weekend of rekindling chemistry, there's no real indication that Tom and Summer might reunite. Instead, Tom lets his emotions get the best of him and he ultimately gets crushed again.
Perhaps most of all, Tom's overt romanticization of his relationship hinders himself from moving on. Though Tom is angry towards Summer for dumping him, he's still idealizing her well after they've broken up. He refuses to give other women a chance, as he can't help but view Summer as the perfect woman. It's not until he talks with his sister Rachel that he finally revisits his relationship with an objective point of view. Once he sees the flaws in his relationship with Summer, he's finally able to move on.
For most of the film, Tom's actions are driven by an unhealthy romanticization of Summer. He's fallen for her before he's even spoken to her, meaning Summer will never live up to his idea of her and he'll always gloss over her faults. Tom is who he is, but he also makes some hard moments far more than difficult than they should be.
The Case Against Summer
Now that we've analyzed Tom's shortcomings, it's time to turn our attention to the ire of many fans, Summer. While Tom consistently succumbs to his over romantic feelings, Summer doesn't seem to precisely know what hers are. Summer exhibits mixed emotions throughout the film, but this all starts with their copy room kiss.
Only a few days after agreeing to remain friends, a pact that Summer spearheaded, Summer initiates a kiss with Tom in the copy room for no apparent reason. Like Tom, Summer should've realized that they each have vastly different views of romance and known that it never would've worked out. This is what seemingly happens on Day 28, but by Day 31, Summer's feelings seem to have completely changed.
From there, Summer's actions indicate that she's now open to a relationship despite her initial refusal. Her and Tom go on a plethora of dates, sleep together a few times, and even open the more personal sides of their lives to each other. Everything that happens after the copy room kiss and before the bar fight implies that they are not only a couple, but happily unified as such.
In fact, it's not until Day 118 that Summer shows reluctance to label their relationship, her first sign of hesitation since the Karaoke Night 90 days prior. Even then, it's not until Day 259 that Summer clearly says she doesn't want to be in a relationship. Again, she did say this on Day 28, but every action since has implied that she has feelings for Tom and enjoys being with him.
Simply put, Summer never clarifies her intentions with Tom. She says she wants one thing, but then pursues the exact opposite. Tom's inner romantic foolishly misreads this for genuine love, when Summer most likely doesn't know what she wants. Summer does indeed seem to care for Tom given that she breaks down crying before breaking up with him, but she also can't seem to overcome an inner reluctance that she really fails to voice.
Summer's mixed signals rear their head again at Millie's wedding when her and Tom reacquaint. Although Tom is more at fault here for reading signals that aren't there, Summer again failed to clarify that she's not interested in Tom. I don't think she necessarily owes him that explanation, but inviting him to a party afterwards without telling him anything about her fiancé seems wrong. (Summer apologized for this, so I feel vindicated in including it here).
Overall, Summer struggles to communicate her true intentions. She gives mixed signals and then does not voice her true feelings until they're well into their relationship. Although working through feelings can be difficult, Summer fails to voice her concerns or mixed feelings until it's too late.
The Verdict
So, after all 500 days and some intense scrutiny, who is to blame in (500) Days of Summer? Both parties consistently make mistakes, contributing to a relationship that hurts both counterparts and ultimately limps to a slow death. I can see either argument, but if I had to pick a villain, it would be Summer.
While Tom overromanticizes Summer to an unhealthy level, this usually hurts himself more than anything. Sure, he falls for Summer too early and grows hopeful for their relationship when it's clearly over, but that's really self sustained heartbreak. Also, Tom was clear about being a full throttled romantic from the beginning and never really strays from that path. Though he is flawed, Tom is consistent in his over romantic ways.
On the other hand, Summer lacks consistency. What she says and does often don't align. While Summer is entitled to her pessimistic beliefs about love, starting a relationship with someone who believes the exact opposite doesn't seem like the best idea. While she did say she didn't want a relationship, she also broke their friendship pact almost immediately and then didn't voice any concerns until they'd been dating for months.
Having mixed emotions is one thing, but bringing them to a relationship is a noticeable offense greater than anything Tom does throughout the film. Because Summer is unclear about what she wants, the relationship could only ever succeed for a short while. As such, I have to say that Summer is the villain in (500) Days of Summer.
Summer's Not Really The Villain
Okay, despite the prior section, I cannot really label Summer as the villain of this film. I do believe she is more at fault than Tom for her failure to communicate, but I won't label her the villain for a good reason.
Ultimately, this all harkens back to the copy room incident on Day 31. I've referenced this day endlessly in this article, as it's obviously the day that Tom and Summer's relationship begins.
However, that's not what matters here. What matters is why. Why would Summer, who vehemently denied love's existence and resisted any idea of a relationship, kiss Tom the next day she saw him?
We can speculate upon Summer's exact motive endlessly. Perhaps she has just hopelessly fallen for Tom in a way that made her forget all of her prior worries. Maybe she's working through her own feelings, which can only be done by testing the romantic waters. Alternatively, Summer might just be a pathological liar that wants to play with Tom until she gets bored.
No matter what we postulate though, we will never be able to prove it because we never get Summer's point of view. Sure, she dominates the film in her own way, but we only have inner access to Tom's purest thoughts and feelings. We will never know what Summer was thinking or if she had a valid reason for breaking their pact because we only get Tom's point of view.
In fact, it's Tom's imperfect narration that remains the biggest reason to relieve Summer of her charges. As we know, Tom is an unreliable narrator. What we see on the screen is directly affected by Tom's emotions, whether it be animated birds joining a dance number or two drastically different versions of one event being experienced simultaneously.
As such, everything we see is what Tom remembers and deems important. Obviously, we don't get anywhere close to seeing all 500 days of Summer, just what Tom remembers.
Thus, some of the most important days might be missing. While Tom doesn't remember Summer readmitting her fears about being in a committed relationship until much later, maybe she mentioned this constantly and Tom simply ignored her. We just don't know because Summer's entire point of view is missing from the film.
Going off of Tom's testimony alone, I feel safe in saying that Summer is most at fault for their relationship. However, since Summer's half of the story is missing, I cannot deem her the villain. Although I promised I wouldn't end things this way, there really is no villain in (500) Days of Summer.
In Conclusion
So, if there's no villain what do we takeaway from Webb's hilariously sad anti-romcom?
Well, as we now know, Tom and Summer each have their fair share of flaws. They both make mistakes, putting their own feelings first without really thinking them through. That's not what defines them or the film though. What Summer and Tom show is that growth is always possible and, perhaps, inevitable.
Though it takes him a while, Tom realizes that there are deeper connections than just infatuation. The glistening love of pop songs and developing crushes is invigorating, but also blinding. By the film's end, Tom has learned to look past that phase and think things through, which will hopefully lead to a healthier relationship with Autumn.
As for Summer, she becomes much more adept at realizing what she wants. While she struggles to decide on what she wants with Tom, she knows immediately what she wants from her next relationship. Most of all though, Summer realizes that Tom was right in that love is a true force that can't be denied.
While (500) Days of Summer entertains as an anti-romantic comedy, it's final thought is the same as many other films: love is real. Yes, the film takes a winding road to get there, dissecting Tom and Summer's complex relationship. The film also shows how we subjectively remember our relationships, romantacizing moments and holding on to others when it's time to let go.
However, this nonlinear romance ultimately affirms that love is as wonderful as it is painful. Like Tom and Summer, we make mistakes because that deep connection that two humans can form is worth chasing. Sure, the whirlwind of romance can be ensnarling and blind us from the most obvious red flags, but it eventually catches up to us. Maybe it's immediately as with Dustin Hoffman's character in The Graduate or slowly as with good old Tom Hansen, but it'll surely happen.
Still, true romance is worth working and reaching towards. Though it entails pain, the value of an authentic, ethereal love can't be ignored. As such, Tom and Summer remain great figures of romance, not for their abject flaws, but for reminding us that growth is required to find who're really meant to be with.
