2009’s (500) Days Of Summer crushed audience members’ souls when Zooey Deschanel’s titular character, Summer (the quintessential manic pixie dream girl), broke the heart of Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film featured a glorious synchronized dance scene, but what everyone seems to dwell upon is how Tom wholeheartedly threw himself into a relationship that was destined to crush him into pieces. Of course, many audience members identified with Tom and blamed Summer for their relationship’s disastrous end, but earlier this week, Gordon-Levitt tweeted back at a fan who confessed to not being able to “forgive” Deschanel for her cinematic actions.
The Golden Globe nominee encouraged people to rewatch the film, for he’s wholly convinced that Tom’s fate was “mostly Tom’s fault” for “projecting … not listening” and being “selfish.”
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
Indeed, the Summer character told Tom upfront that she wasn’t looking for anything serious and mostly wanted casual sex. He idealized her and saw things differently, so he decided that she’d eventually change her mind and proceeded to fall head over heels. Tom stubbornly crossed boundaries placed by Summer, and then he acted all downtrodden when she kept her word by not wanting a serious relationship. Shocking!
Regardless and perhaps because Gordon-Levitt was so good at his portrayal of pathetic heartbreak, folks are still carrying a torch for Tom. Yet the actor’s tweet has brought some closure to the situation, as replies to his tweet reveal.
THANK U, ppl don't seem to grasp the concept that the whole film circled around tom mistakingly idealizing summer in his head and expecting her real life self to match his expectations when she could never bc she's only human !!!! but ofc everyone thinks the female is evil !!!!!
— i’m manic and i have anxiety i’m so fucking sorry (@ohhhhhhmyg) August 6, 2018
finally we get closure from the source. https://t.co/xzsRhqvcEs
— Mick Turner (@mehcarty) August 7, 2018
I think it’s ridiculous people watch that movie thinking zooey deschanel’s character is the antagonist when it’s entirely about the things we want the other person to be, not what they actually are
— e l l e #elleforsb (@gabriellenieche) August 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/alltimeeesha_/status/1026809095037153282
I still don't understand how people misread 500 days of Summer https://t.co/zRyWJs2w71
— Asim Burney (@asimburney) August 7, 2018
Still, not everyone is convinced….
i am not ok https://t.co/luQF5rqSUY
— Taylor Trudon (@taylortrudon) August 6, 2018