In 500 Days of Summer, were either of them in love?

I think neither of them were really in love, and that’s the point of the movie. Sam was infatuated with Summer, and in love with the idea of who she was, but he didn’t really know her. Before they met, he had a whole mythology built up in his head of what love was supposed to be. He basically thought she was his soulmate because they liked the same (romantic) Smiths song.

The two Smiths songs in the movie actually tell you about Sam’s character and his views on love. Liking their music is a pretty defining character thing for him. There is a light that never goes out is all about young love and living in the moment- AKA, infatuation. The chorous goes, “if a double decker bus crashes into us/ to die by your side would be such a heavenly way to die.” The other song on the soundtrack is “Please please please let me get what I want.”

Morrissey was famously celibate for most of his career, but his songs are all about longing. I think the writers carefully chose the Smiths as Sam’s favorite band to tell us something about his character. It says that he’s inexperienced and has a romantic, idealized view of the world.

As for Summer, even if someone really, really likes you, that isn’t always enough. After they’ve known each other a while, things that used to be fun aren’t anymore, and they’ve already heard all of each other’s jokes. I think she was genuinely fond of him, but eventually you have to get to know each other on a deeper level and like what you find there. That didn’t happen for this couple.

I actually like that, because very few movies deal with relationships not working out. Usually the plot happens, and then the couple falls in love at the end. Those are stories about how we want things to go, not real life.