Joseph Gordon-Levitt settles debate over meaning of 500 Days of Summer as he says movie is ‘misinterpreted’

The 2009 film has been subject to conflicting interpretations

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has said that (500) Days of Summer has long been misinterpreted by viewers.

The actor, 43, starred in the 2009 romantic drama as Tom Hansen, a character at the centre of a failed relationship with Zooey Deschanel’s titular Summer Finn. The film, directed by Marc Webb, depicts their relationship in non-linear form.

The film has long been at the centre of debate between warring factions in the movie’s fandom, with some people perceiving Summer as a cold-hearted villain who strings Tom along, and others blaming Tom for his self-absorbed and objectifying approach to their relationship, which ignores Summer’s autonomy and agency.

In a new interview, Gordon-Levitt settled the debate as he gave his verdict on the movie’s meaning.

“People say negative things about Zooey’s character,” he told the i. “It gets interpreted that it’s a story about this innocent guy who’s so nice and loves his girlfriend so much, and then she breaks up with him, and how could she do that?

“But what you really ought to pay attention to is that my character was not listening. He ignores a lot of what Summer says.”

Gordon-Levitt, who also starred in the 1999 cult classic rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You, gave various examples of instances in the movie when Tom fails to listen to Summer.

Star finally clarified the movie’s meaning (Getty Images for Netflix)

Around halfway through the movie, Summer begins to tell Tom about a recurring dream she has.

“And the narrator just starts talking over her,” he continued. “This is a great cinematic representation of a selfish young man who’s not even listening to his girlfriend. He’s thinking all about himself. It’s no wonder she broke up with him.”

He went on to explain that the movie was subject to so many different interpretations due to its use of an unreliable narrator, a literary device used to make a viewer question the truth of one’s story.

(500) Days of Summer has generated a cult and warring fan base (Searchlight Pictures/(500) Days of Summer)

“I’m being a bit film nerdy here, or literary nerdy, but I love stories that are told with an unreliable narrator, because then it’s incumbent upon you as the viewer to decide what you think is true. And that is a very good instinct not just for reading books or watching movies, but for everything in life,” he said.

(500) Days of Summer has generated a cult fan base since its release, with many praising the two central performances from Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel, as well as Chloë Grace Moretz who plays Tom’s little sister.

This isn’t the first time that Gordon-Levitt has waded into the discourse surrounding the movie.

In 2018, the actor responded to a fan criticising Dechanel’s character, urging thme to “watch it again”.

“It’s mostly Tom’s fault,” replied Gordon-Levitt. “He’s projecting. He’s not listening. He’s selfish. Luckily he grows by the end.”