(500) Days of Summer is presented in a non-chronological format, each scene being introduced by which of the 500 days it is. The plot as given here has been rearranged in chronological order. It is important to note cinematographically that the film opens with day 488 the scene where Tom and Summer are seated at a bench and the audience sees Summers ringed finger as the two hold hands.Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is in a meeting when his boss (Clark Gregg) introduces the board room to Summer (Zooey Deschanel), his new assistant. He is immediately taken by Summers beauty.Tom talks to his friends about how much he likes Summer. While at first he plays things cool, he is convinced she is the one after an exchange in the elevator over their mutual love of the Smiths. He spends two weeks pining over her and executing awkward attempts to initiate conv... [more]

(500) Days of Summer is presented in a non-chronological format, each scene being introduced by which of the 500 days it is. The plot as given here has been rearranged in chronological order. It is important to note cinematographically that the film opens with day 488 the scene where Tom and Summer are seated at a bench and the audience sees Summers ringed finger as the two hold hands.Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is in a meeting when his boss (Clark Gregg) introduces the board room to Summer (Zooey Deschanel), his new assistant. He is immediately taken by Summers beauty.Tom talks to his friends about how much he likes Summer. While at first he plays things cool, he is convinced she is the one after an exchange in the elevator over their mutual love of the Smiths. He spends two weeks pining over her and executing awkward attempts to initiate conversation, but cant hit a chord. An opportunity arises when Toms best friend tells him that the entire office is going to a karaoke bar the following evening.Tom arrives at the bar as his best friend is singing. He sees Summer and she seems happy to see him. Summer goes up and sings while Tom drinks with his friend and watches Summer. Summer then gets Tom a little drunk and has him sing karaoke. Afterwards, the three sit together and talk about relationships and love, during which Tom and Summer argue over whether or not love is real, with Summer saying it isnt while Tom says it is. The two agree to disagree. While helping Toms friend to a cab, Toms friend blurts out that Tom likes Summer and the two are left on the sidewalk. Summer asks if it is true and Tom, after some coaxing from Summer, says that he likes her (but adds as friends). Summer calls him very interesting and leaves Tom standing there on the sidewalk. The next day at work, she kisses him in the copy room. Once Summers copies are finished, she simply ignores Tom and leaves the copy room.Summer and Tom go out and have fun in the city. As they spend more time together, they become closer. Summer shares her most intimate thoughts and stories with him, while Tom takes her to his favorite spot in the city and tells her about how he was studying to become an architect before he ran out of money and was forced to work for the Card Company to sustain himself. As the two walk around Ikea, they joke about living as a married couple in the stores demonstration rooms, but as theyre about to kiss on a bed in a store, Summer makes it clear that she isnt looking for anything serious. They return to Toms bedroom and start to make out on his bed. He goes into the bathroom and convinces himself that its just casual fun, reminding himself to just take it slow. As he walks out, however, he sees her lying naked under the covers.He walks out the next morning, dancing and upbeat. Hes in love with Summer and on top of the world. After a singing and dancing scene, Tom arrives at work and starts suggesting high quality copy for cards, all the while thinking of Summer.Things go well for a few weeks. However, one night in a bar, a random guy starts hitting on Summer. She makes it clear she isnt interested, but he wont believe shes with Tom. After taking some more insults, Tom stands up and punches the guy. He awkwardly smiles at Summer before the guy gets up and beats him down. She takes Tom to her apartment and yells at him since she thought he was not acting cool at all and did it for his own sense of self. Tom starts fighting back. He yells that everything they are doing isnt a friendship, and that even though she doesnt want to label things, he thinks that theyre in a relationship because Summer isnt the only one who gets a say. He storms out.The two go to bed. Tom contemplates calling her, but doesnt. She comes to his apartment and apologizes. The two have a heart to heart and share their past relationships. She tells him about her bisexual experience, her first relationship and her relationship with The Puma. The two seem happy.Weeks pass. Summer and Tom go out and see a film. She starts crying as she sees the ending of The Graduate, as Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross escape a wedding and their looks of joy and excitement slowly vanish. Summer tells Tom that shes exhausted and wants to sleep, but Tom convinces her to go get pancakes with him. Whilst waiting for their order, Summer blurts out that she thinks they should stop seeing each other. Tom is taken aback and asks why if they were so happy. Summer says that she isnt happy. As the pancakes arrive, Tom stands up and leaves. Summer tells him not to leave because he is still her best friend.Toms friends call his little sister, Rachel, who bikes to his apartment. Tom is upset and she makes him explain what happened. He recounts the break up. He is adamant that he doesnt want to get over her, but get her back. His depression worsens and begins to affect his work. His boss calls him in and he asks if Toms performance is related to Summer leaving. Tom tries to play it off, but his boss tells him that everyone knows. It is made clear that Summer also quit her job at the card company.Months pass. One of Toms co-workers is getting married. He takes the train to go to the wedding and sees Summer. He tries to hide, but she sees him and approaches. They talk and go get a coffee. The entire weekend is spent together. At the wedding, he asks her to dance and they have a very romantic night together. She invites Tom to a party on at her place. Tom is hopeful.Toms expectations for the night are to make his dreams a reality. However, as he arrives at the party, the differences between his dream night and that night are hauntingly apparent. He barely talks to Summer and finds comfort with the bottle. He then sees Summer showing off her ring and her fiance. Tom loses it. He leaves without a word, angry and hurt that Summer would treat him like this.Tom spends the next 5 days in a catatonic state. He leaves the apartment once to buy orange juice, Twinkies and Jack Daniels. He eventually returns to work, just in time for the weekly presentations. His best friend reminds him that today is the day they present their pitches for new cards. Halfway through the presentation, Tom decides that his beliefs of love, fate, and relationships were wrong. He gives the board a passionate speech about how their company is comfortable feeding people lies and that they are the reason people have such unrealistic expectations. He quits and leaves. The board is left stunned as his best friend awkwardly claps at his friends departure.Tom is seen struggling with his depression. He slowly begins to take steps to help himself. Rachel tells him that he should take a second look at Summer and Toms relationship and stop ignoring the bad. He realizes that there was always something Summer was holding back and kept her from truly being in the relationship. He begins to take up architecture again. He trashes his apartment and begins drawing on the walls and designing. He slowly builds up a portfolio and makes a list of firms to present his work at. One by one he is rejected. Once the firms dwindle to a handful, Tom begins to lose hope.Tom goes to the bench at his favorite part of the city. Hes gazing down at some of the buildings when Summer calls out to him. She compliments his looks and tells him she knows hes angry. She also tells him that shes happy to see hes doing alright. Tom confesses that he now realizes that all his ideas about love were wrong. Summer points out that it wasnt. The girl who didnt want to be anyones girlfriend was now someones wife. She tells him that with her husband, she knew what she was never sure of with Tom: that she was in love with him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She also tells Tom that if theres no destiny, she might have easily never randomly met him in a deli. She tells Tom he was right, but just not about her. She holds his hand and squeezes before telling him that she needs to go. Tom tells her hes happy that shes happy, but makes a point not to congratulate her on her marriage. She smiles and leaves Tom.Tom is on his way to a job interview. As he sits there, waiting to be interviewed, a girl across the waiting room calls out to him and asks if theyve met. She tells him that shes seen him sitting on a bench in Toms favorite spot, which is coincidentally her favorite spot as well. Tom says hes never seen her before, so she replies that he clearly wasnt looking. Tom jokes that since shes the competition he hopes she doesnt get the job. She returns the wish. The interviewer calls Tom in, but as hes walking he turns back and asks the girl to get some coffee afterwards. She tells him that she is meeting someone. However, as Tom turns around, she agrees and says theyll work it out. Tom smiles and introduces himself. She smiles and introduces herself. Her name is Autumn.Day 1. [less]