MovieChat Forums > (500) Days of Summer (2009) Discussion > Are you Team Tom or Team Summer?

Are you Team Tom or Team Summer?

posted 10 years ago by rebellion32
45 replies | jump to latest

I'm team neither. They'd both make terrible partners. Tom is insecure, needy and naive. Summer told him from the beginning that she wasn't looking for anything serious, yet he still let himself get his hopes up and then blamed her when she ultimately rejected him.

Summer is no better. She knew Tom had a thing for her, yet she still kept sleeping with him, flirting and sending him mixed messages. No wonder he was so confused.

With that said, I would say Tom is the lesser of two evils. Tom would probably learn from this and not make the same mistake again. Summer would probably continue to manipulate people because she doesn't seem to care about how her actions affect others.

[–] ShellOilJunior 10 years ago

I'm on the team that thinks this film is terrible.

[–] Notzi81 10 years ago

I must say that I'm team Tom. Nothing against Summer, but I have to take Tom's side when it comes to the situations that took place. Yes, it's true, Summer let Tom know upfront that she didn't want a boyfriend. However, most people that don't want a serious relationship, but yet are sexually involved with someone, behave a certain way. A perfect example is Mrs. Robinson and Ben from The Graduate (ironically enough). Mrs. Robinson lets it be known from jump street that she is not interested in a relationship, and when Ben attempts to get to know Mrs. Robinson better midway through the film, she rebuffs him and coldly reminds him that their interactions are to be purely sexual, and nothing more.

Now, I'm not saying that Summer had to be cold to Tom if all she wanted to do is "have a good time," but I will say that she sent out mixed signals. She stated that she didn't want a serious relationship, but she spent all her time with him, invited him to her apartment (which the film implies she's never done before), and told him things she never revealed to anyone else. All this led him to believe that he was special. Then, she turned right around and said that they were just friends, to which Tom naturally replied they weren't. Friends don't make love and bump buddies (clean version) don't have intimate moments. Despite the fact that Summer said she didn't want a boyfriend, her actions pretty much said something entirely different. The old adage is definitely true: your actions speak louder than your words.

Then there's the wedding and the party invite. I'm sorry, but the way she handled things in these two aspects were pretty jacked up. First of all, when she sees Tom again, she never even lets on that she's seeing someone else. She hangs out with Tom during the entire wedding reception and dances with him, basically giving him false hope. Then she invites him to the rooftop party, never bothering to tell him that it's actually an engagement party. That was pretty crappy of her. She should've been straight with him. Tom wasn't perfect, but Summer was guilty of leading Tom on, and for that reason, I'm team Tom.

Love,

Notzi

[–] selenebrown98 9 years ago

Team Neither

Like what everyone else has said in this board, Summer sent out !ixed messages, probably because of her own confused feelings.

However, Tom was still a bit of a dick. He turned Summer into this idealised dream girl for him to project all his fantasies about love on and give his life meaning, failing to remember that she's a human being and can't live up to these expectations.

[–] chas437 9 years ago

Its a mistake to take sides, that's not what the film is about.

[–] daviolinspider 9 years ago

Neither, though I think this film is an exercise in extremes and tropes. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but the characters are exaggerated examples (or maybe not so exaggerated given some of the crazies I know) of personalities. Summer is self-absorbed and selfish, not thinking or caring about how her actions affect others and Tom is naive and desperate. Neither read the situation well and behaved accordingly or they just blindly continued for convenience, Summer, and infatuation, Tom. Summer was downright cruel in her behavior, though, and far too direct. There are ways of being honest without being so forcefully blunt.

[–] jamieparsons1 9 years ago

I've been in Tom's situation before, with a girl who thought we were just friends but acted in an entirely different way. We were both wrong and unfair to each other but in the case of the movie, I think Summer acted worse.
Tom wasn't in the right but still, there was no need for Summer to act that way. If you don't want a boyfriend, or anything serious, don't date and sleep with someone who clearly does want something serious.

They are both selfish, but I think Summer was the worse.

[–] lynseylinzlu 9 years ago

I'm neither and both. I hate that people hate on Summer the same as i hate when people say Tom is a d**k. What this film symbolises to me is a relationship thats realistic, where one person loved the other more than the other and it didnt work out. the whole reality vs expectation scenes are a clue to this. He was besotted in love, she was trying to keep him happy but not in the way he wanted.

[–] washcloud 9 years ago

I'm sorry to let you know, but you got so little from the film.
For example, Summer wasn't manipulative. She never even told him the infamous four letter word that is worldwidely and throughout History known to be the root of all manipulation, when it comes to relationships.
Other than that, you missed that she was a happily married and expecting wife of somebody. Does THIS strike you as "not caring considering actions towards others"...?
Summer is simply too cautious about not fooling her own self AND others. This doesn't mean she shouldn't get into a relationship (because THAT'S what them two had : a relationship, meaning two people doing stuff together, among having a love life). And she never made any promises (showing her affection is hardly a promise). Now I do know that all this SEEMS "robotic" (as Tom himself put it) and makes her hard for people to sympathise with her - but at the same time it's unfair to her.

Memory is a wonderful thing if you don't have to deal with the past

[–] fluffset 9 years ago

of course we are TEAM TOM, that's what the director wants us to think. Its obvious that Summer is some kind of.... weird person.

THRILLER IS MY FOOD!

[–] joaovictorlr 9 years ago

I think everyone were or it's gonna be the two of them at some point in life, so it's not a fair question.