7 Films That Make Interesting Points On Society

5. 500 Days Of Summer - One-Sided Relationships And Casual Romance

Ingrid Goes West
Fox Searchlight

Cast your mind back to 2009 and remember a sweet romantic comedy called 500 Days Of Summer...

It's strange that at one point we sympathized with Tom and saw him as just humble and lovesick. Then we sobered up and even Joseph Gordon-Levitt commented that we aren't supposed to like the character; and in fact feel concern for Summer as she was being shaped and pushed into a relationship she clearly didn't want.

Tom seems himself as a nice guy; a romantic at heart who wants to spend the rest of his life with Summer. But even with her intentions made clear, he pushes back and resists in hope that she will eventually see him as exactly what she needs.

The message of the film isn't one of lost love or what-could-have-been; but (without painting Tom into a corner as problematic too much) displays the idea that just because two people are dating or are having a casual romance, doesn't mean they are on the same page mentally.

Relationships are exciting when they first start, but can grow to become frustratingly complicated when one person isn't feeling the same as the other.

If only Tom listened to Summer, he could have stayed a good friend.

Contributor

I overthink a lot of things. Will talk about pretty much anything for a great length of time. I'm obsessed with General Slocum from the 2002 Spider-Man film. I have questions that were never answered in that entire trilogy!