I saw this a few days ago and I just forgot to write it up, and for that, I’m sorry, because it’s an interesting story. Don’t you just love when actors are really involved with the films they’ve done and the characters they’ve portrayed, even to the point where they still have feelings and theories about what was really going on within the story? I’m reminded of Sean Bean still having so many feelings about Game of Thrones even though he had been off the show for several years at that point. Well, Joseph Gordon Levitt still has feelings about one of his most famous movies, 500 Days of Summer.
Admittedly, I haven’t seen the movie in years, but from what I remember, it was a very enjoyable vintage-flavored “love story” between Tom (JGL) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel). I remember thinking that Summer came across as somewhat one-dimensional, almost like that perfect Manic Pixie Dream Girl built just for Tom’s fantasies. The movie is also somewhat famous for being twee, and yet not having a happy ending (Summer moves on and is quite happy with another man). Which brings me to this story. Someone tweeted, just in general and not @ JGL, this statement: “Still haven’t forgiven Zooey Deschanel for what she did to Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer.” JGL had something to say:
Watch it again. It’s mostly Tom’s fault. He’s projecting. He’s not listening. He’s selfish. Luckily he grows by the end. https://t.co/lEJ8uXlpJw
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) August 6, 2018
Yet another reason to love JGL, huh? Way to kick people in the teeth, those starry-eyed romantics who believed that Tom was the perfect guy and Summer was just a one-dimensional trope. She came across as one-dimensional because that’s how Tom saw her, because he wasn’t interested in seeing the real girl. I love that JGL still has feelings about this!!
Stills from 500 Days of Summer, photo courtesy of WENN.
I loved that he said this!!! That’s always the vibe I got from it. Just another manic pixie dream girl. I still enjoyed watching it, but yeah.
I once had this douchey guy (now an amateur filmmaker) I fooled around with in high school tell me he was going to make a movie about me “just like 500 Days of Summer”… we all remember how it started, right? Ugh. Dreading that one.
Didn’t he write 500 Days of Summer? It would make sense that he’d still be invested in it if he did.
He didn’t. The writes were Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
This discourse made me watch the movie again on Tuesday…because when it first came out…I was TOTALLY on the…he set himself up to fall route…even though a lot of her actions were ambiguous…her words were not….and the last scene with them at the end even DEALT with her ambiguity….it’s a brilliant movie about things so many of us go through!
I remember watching that movie as a teen and feeling so sorry for Tom. Almost a decade later and I can’t really bring myself to watch it again because it hits too close to home. I think parents should talk to teens more about the subtleties of relationships, especially about stuff like this. Admittedly, not projecting is a learned skill, but at least being aware that people tend to do that might lessen the blow when disappointment creeps in.
I swear…the split scene where they showed…”perception” vs. “reality”….
Lawd……WHEW!!!!
I have a hazy memory of the movie except that I thought it was well made. So, what did Summer do to him and what did she really want that he wasn’t paying attention to?
I think what smarts is that SHE started it and she also ended it. She kissed him and took it to that level but she also ended it, acting weird because she had met someone else.
But if you watch she clearly says “I’m not looking for anything serious.” But she sleeps with him and he goes on dates and says “We’re a couple!” SHE never says that but she does give him mixed signals, dancing with him at a wedding, etc…
I remember liking the music but the plot didn’t stick with me at all. My very naive take was he was convinced she was the one and she was barely feeling it by the end and I didn’t expect that? Not sure it would be worth rewatching for me.
I don’t know how people had patience with these characters. She was an asshole and he was a dumb, whiny dude.
that’s how I remember it too!
Portrayed… Not betrayed. Could be betrayed, perhaps, if you think they acted out the role poorly 😂
Ah yes, this is why he’s one of my boyfriends.
Mine too! I love him.
This is a film that completely passed me by at time, but this commentary makes me want to go back and watch it.
He has talked about this several times since I’ve been following him on Facebook. And every single time, commenters get mad at him for it. Methinks Tom is not the only one projecting their own feelings onto someone else.
I had a dumb cousin who constantly had women troubles because he was desperate, lazy, and a mysoginist. My sister and I told him he needed to watch that movie and he did. Then he told us “omg the movie is totally right women are just bitches!” And we were like no moron you missed the point!