9 Things You Never Knew About '(500) Days of Summer' on its 10th Anniversary
Romantic comedies don't get much better than "(500) Days of Summer." Ten years later, we still enjoy getting caught up in the whirlwind, doomed romance between Tom and Summer. To celebrate this anniversary, here are some things you might not know about "(500) Days of Summer."
1. Co-writer Scott Neustadter based the screenplay and the characterization of Tom on one of his previous relationships. On the DVD commentary he estimates 75% of the events in the film actually happened to him.
2. While well-known now for directing the "Amazing Spider-Man" movies and 2017's "Gifted," at the time director Marc Webb was mostly known for his music video work. "(500) Days of Summer" was his first feature-length project.
3. Webb returned to his roots after completing work on the film, filming a music video starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel dancing to the song "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" from Deschanel's band She & Him.
4. The movie is widely praised as a showcase for Los Angeles architecture, but originally the script was set in San Francisco.
5. Before Deschanel was cast as Summer, the character was written as having a short, blond hairstyle representative of summer.
6.Matthew Gray Gubler's dialogue had to be slightly altered in order to avoid an R-rating. Apparently Paul saying the word "humjob" instead of "blowjob" made all the difference to the MPAA.
7. The documentary about love contains a great deal of footage not included in the final movie. In fact, it wasn't originally intended to be included at all, at least until it received strong test audience reactions.
8. The rooms used for Tom's apartment and the New Hampshire Greetings offices were both in the same building.
9. The movie gives conflicting information as to what year it takes place. The narrator refers to May 23 being on a Wednesday, which would suggest the film unfolds from January 8, 2006 to May 23, 2007. However, one of Summer's email messages to Tom is dated 2008.