Why the protagonist of 500 Days of Summer is actually the film's villain
While many viewers cast Summer as the antagonist, the film’s stars argue the opposite. Tom projects his own fantasies onto a woman who is consistently honest about her intentions. By falling in love with an idealized version of a person, Tom misses the reality of their fundamental romantic incompatibility.
Released in 2009, (500) Days of Summer became a cult classic by subverting the traditional romantic comedy. Directed by Marc Webb in his feature debut, the film uses a non-linear narrative to chronicle the relationship between Tom, a greeting card writer, and Summer, his boss's assistant. While the story is told from Tom's perspective, the creators and actors emphasize that Summer is transparent throughout the film, while Tom suffers from a delusional obsession.
The screenplay, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, was inspired by Neustadter’s own experience with a woman who returned his affection but not his ardor. This tension between personal experience and the genre's tropes helped the film earn $60.7 million worldwide against a $7.5 million budget. Critics often compared it to Annie Hall and High Fidelity, praising its fresh approach to the 'boy meets girl' narrative, though some reviewers found it derivative or overly reliant on hipster aesthetics.
Beyond the central romance, the film serves as a love letter to Los Angeles architecture. Locations like the Bradbury Building and the Los Angeles Music Center play a central role, with Tom’s favorite spot, Angel's Knoll, becoming a tourist destination. The film’s visual language is equally deliberate; director Marc Webb insisted Summer wear only blue to match her eyes and subconsciously draw the audience's attention. Ultimately, the film is less about a romance and more about a coming-of-age realization that true love requires seeing the other person as they actually are, rather than as a vessel for one's own expectations.
Source: 500 Days of Summer
