Originally Posted by Alanna;3924906;
Tom was a sensitive, quirky, puppy-dog kind of guy who fell hard for a girl named Summer who was not quite right for him. They had a short relationship and he then pined for her as she moved on and got married to another man. As the 500 days ended (basically from the time he met her to the time he got over her), he got over his depression and decided that life always had surprises in store. In the last scene of the movie, totally unexpectedly, at a job interview, he meets a woman named Autumn and they clearly spark.
So really, I would say CL is nothing like Tom. Tom was, imo, really whiny and self-absorbed and pathetic. He was not a strong character and was depressed and pining after Summer for at least half the movie. I would say he's more like whiny, wishy-washy Frank than CL who seems more mature and adult from what we've seen/heard about him.