Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt has reminded fans that his character in the 2009 romcom 500 Days Of Summer is, in many ways, a bit shit. This time around, he’s co-opted a rising meme to make his point.
For the uninitiated, the flick sees Gordon-Levitt’s character Tom Hansen idealise and pursue the titular Summer Finn, portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, without really taking her feelings into consideration.
While Hansen eventually has a minor epiphany about his actions, 500 Days Of Summer is remembered more as a twee cultural artefact than a cautionary tale of fuckboi behaviour.
Eleven years after the movie’s premiere, Twitter users have seized upon a meme format which compares a movie’s apparent antagonist to each film’s real baddie.
Gordon-Levitt, a regular Twitter user himself, today highlighted a post which designates Hansen as the enemy.
I approve this message 👀 https://t.co/AVnY3bbCPU
— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) July 9, 2020
It’s not the first time he’s made this point, either. In 2018, he urged a fan to re-watch the movie after they claimed Summer was in the wrong.
“It’s mostly Tom’s fault,” the actor said. “He’s projecting. He’s not listening. He’s selfish. Luckily he grows by the end.”
Elsewhere, fans have used the meme format to blame other popular characters of not-so-secretly being the worst.
Prominent targets include the boyfriend from The Devil Wears Prada, Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, and Pam Beesly in The Office.
idk if this has been done, but it needs to be said,
the movie villain the actual villain pic.twitter.com/nrBA6d5fBC
— lou (@louraub) July 7, 2020
The show’s villain VS The actual villain pic.twitter.com/X4EZnZ55Zb
— . (@O_Dolly) June 18, 2020
The show’s villain The actual villain pic.twitter.com/CXazWPO3WG
— michaelangelo (@AsapMikeyyy) May 21, 2020
https://twitter.com/chuuzus/status/1263163485225132040
The series villain. The Actual villains. pic.twitter.com/cUkK0cmm5G
— Will 🏳️🌈 (@_Whk_) July 8, 2020
Critical engagement with the presented narrative: what a thing.
