Love is complicated. However, most rom-coms do not always depict realistic and complicated relationships. ‘500 Days of Summer’ is a rare depiction of how love is different for everyone.

500 Days of Summer tells the story of Summer Finn and Tom Hansen. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tom, a greeting-card writer. Zooey Deschanel plays Summer who works with Tom. Tom believes that he needs to find “the one” in order to be happy. However, Summer likes being independent and is not as hopeful when it comes to finding love.
After meeting Summer, Tom is certain that she is “the one.” Although he constantly doubts himself and does not have much self-confidence, he is determined to win her over.
The movie does not follow a regular timeline. Instead, it jumps backward and forward in time through the 500 days of Summer’s and Tom’s relationship.
Throughout his relationship with Summer, Tom leans on his little sister Rachel for advice. He tells her about all his successes and troubles with Summer. Rachel is always honest with Tom and uses logic to clear Tom’s cloudy judgment.
Besides his sister, Tom’s only other close friends are Paul, played by Matthew Gray Gubler, and McKenzie, played by Geoffrey Arend. They try to guide Tom to help him win over Summer but often end up giving him terrible advice.
Music plays a big part in the movie and leads to Summer’s and Tom’s connection. Their mutual love of ‘80s British bands brings them together for their first conversation. The soundtrack also shows the highs and lows of love. Somber songs like “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths play when Tom is upset about Summer. Upbeat songs like “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates play when Tom is happy about his relationship.
Summer’s and Tom’s opposite ideas of love show that love is not one set idea. Love can mean many different things to different people. Love can be silly and carefree one day but painful and harsh the next.
The movie’s uniqueness sat very well with critics as it received an 85% from Rotten Tomatoes and has won many independent movie awards.
500 Days of Summer is available to watch on Hulu and Amazon Prime. It is also available to rent or buy from many other streaming services.
500 Days of Summer is an accurate representation of how love is not perfect. In the movies, love is shown to be effortless and easy. In real life, that is not the case.