(500) Days of Summer was an indie smash hit upon its release in 2009, and to this day, fans still like to debate whether or not Zooey Deschanel’s Summer is the villain of this bittersweet romantic dramedy. With the movie entering the streaming world again through its recent arrival on Hulu, Deschanel took a moment to celebrate the occasion with her own message to fans on the matter. Aas you’d expect, she doesn’t think that Summer is the villain some have made her out to be.
Like many other fiery discussions that rage like an internet coal fire, the reaction to Zooey Deschanel’s (500) Days of Summer character is one of those things that has never really gone away. So as if to head everyone off at the pass, the New Girl actor shared a pre-emptive statement on her Instagram account. Saying nothing incendiary, just stating her truth, Deschanel addressed the matter thusly.
Zooey Deschanel isn’t even alone in this matter when it comes to the opinions of (500) Days of Summer cast members. Even Joseph Gordon-Levitt is onboard with the prevailing theory that, if you look close enough at director Marc Webb’s movie, you can see that his character Tom is the true villain. And he hasn’t been shy on that viewpoint, as this question has popped up quite a bit in the past several years.
(500) Days of Summer is one of those movies that people feel they can revisit at various points in their life and get different messages out of what they see each time. Personal experiences with relationships are undoubtedly going to have fans feeling one way or the other about Tom and Summer’s actions, depending on what sort of emotional state they’re in at the time. And seeing the film return to streaming is going to open up some more opportunities to discuss various facets of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Summer and Tom.
There may never be a time where the mere mention of (500) Days of Summer doesn’t bring up various audience members voicing some very personal opinions. That's part of why the movie has lasted as a hot button topic of discussion for so long, and will continue to do so. Maybe one day, someone will break the subject down once and for all; but even if they do, a new round of questions will probably take their place.
If you feel like getting into the discussion yourself, (500) Days of Summer is currently streaming on Hulu. Should you want to leave those wounds in the past though, there’s always the option to look to the future and see what 2021 has to offer. Just be sure not to let the issue take up your thoughts for 500 days, as you’d only be proving the film’s point in doing so.
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