"Between her giant bug eyes and his constant squinting, they had a shot at normal-eyed children." Too funny! Kudos to the writer and Jon Bailey's epic delivery. Cheers!
This is my favorite movie. I first watched as a teenager and found it relatable because chicks were the worst and ‘friend zone’. Then I watched it in my 20s and realized I related to it because I was the worst. Now I look back and laugh at how selfish I was, how unrealistic my expectations were and how bad the lessons movies teach us about dating are.
I'll never understand how people don't get that media influences you whether you notice are not. Not all media influences all people the same way either. The people arguing against that being a thing are usually people who have been influenced and don't realize it. They say things, "well I watched/played this and it had not effect on me." Not realizing that stuff is probably the reason they have an anger problem or have negative opinions about certain groups of people. They think they came about their beliefs completely organically on their own.
Right?! I watched when it came out, I was 20 and I felt like Summer was a B and Tom deserved better... Now just thinking of it I'm like "oh boy! Was I wrong or what?!"
But what in the hell, should a movie teach you lessons. Why they can’t be like love songs? When you are in love you relate to them, when you are not, you see them with cynicism and realize that they are about unhealthy dependencies.
I'd love to see the sequel where 40 year old, post-divorce JGL looks back on his past and cringes. He self actualizes, learns how to be just friends with a woman, and concludes with him being just as single as before. But like content or something.
Thirded! I don't think I've ever thought "why am I watching this" followed 15 minutes later by "why am I still watching this?" while simultaneously not thinking it was dragging.
Many rom-coms have been doing this for like decades now. Often regarding what would in the real word be borderline (if not overt, straight up) stalking as adorable determination for love. I've heard plenty of actors who've appeared in the movies say this very thing.
5:26 - uh, no. The montage didn’t prove that she was worse; it proved that there was no clear connection between them and that the breakup didn’t come out of nowhere.
I see it the same way but you gotta admit there is room for multiple interpretations here. Her sister encourages her to look back on their relationship without rose-colored glasses and I don't remember the dialogue but the scene can ALSO be seen as "she was distant throughout the relationship because she didn't care, but you cared Tom and you deserve better!" - I would see that as a perfectly valid conclusion to get to with the way the film frames it. You know?
It's a pretty good movie that fails to nail the landing. The hack Hollywood ending is the one we got where JGL finds the right girl and lives happily ever after. The real world ending involves learning how to be happy and adjusted without depending on a relationship. (Much harder to montage that self-discovery). To be honest I don't know if the screenwriter himself ever got to that point, which is why we got shallow ending.
dmfuerte that would probably make a lot of sense. If it’s his F-You to an ex he probably feels the ending is a happy ending and he is the good guy who learned something even if incredibly incredibly shallow because that’s where he was at. It was how he felt at the time
well when your press junket for the movie is bragging about what a bitch your ex is and how you really pwnd her by making this movie about her... you definitely didnt ever reach that point, and all the profound meanings that could possibly be hidden in this movie go right out the window because the writer was a shallow douche nozzle
"The hack Hollywood ending is the one we got where JGL finds the right girl and lives happily ever after." I did not at all take that from the end. It was just a simple scene to show he hadn't changed in any meaningful way. There are no indicators that the girls is right, that they live happily ever after or that they even get a second date..
The point of the movie to me is that Tom is an idealist and because he feels such a strong connection to Summer, he thinks he is owed a proper relationship. Summer isn't into it so Tom goes through heart break and eventually matures....a LITTLE, just like people in real life, its not a complete 180. In the end, Summer is not bad, Tom is not bad, they are people with different motivations and emotions, different lenses for viewing the world. I also see it as a commentary on the "nice guys gets the girl in the end" story. Love isn't about who can be the nicest it's about that indescribable connection you achieve with another person when you live and open yourself to others in an authentic way.
I agree, and like Dan said that tom ends up in the same place at the end of the movie .I disagree with Dan we dont know that. maybe he matured , maybe he takes a different approach to the relationship based on his experience with summer.
Teenage me always liked the movie because it was two horrible people disguised as charming, quirky, way too attractive actors in a car crash of a relationship and in my cynical teenage brain that made perfect sense because love is pain and everyone is an asshole. Clearly I was the life of the party. 😅
We've all been there. I saw this after a girl I tried to woe for more than a year got a sugar-daddy and I kinda agreed with your conclusion. It's kinda rough now but I still enjoy it a bit.
Tom not learning from his experience from Summer and still believing in fate and the perfect woman reinforces that this is a commentary on the manic pixie dream girl trope in films.
@@HermanFalckHow That's not how I interpret it. The fact that her name is Autumn which comes after Summer makes Tom believe she is the one. His whole problem, as shown in the opening narration, is that he has always based his idea of love and romance from movies and love songs. He believes in true love and how the guy gets the girl because they are meant to be. Summer showed him that's not how real love works. He didn't learn and smirks at the camera because he's back on his same old bullshit.
Do you really think he didn’t learn anything though? I mean, he got his heart broken (through his own fault) and even quit his job, not before making this speech about how the greeting cards and movies and songs are to blame for his views about love and the heartache that follows. And throughout the film he was only concerned with his own happiness and how Summer made him feel but at the very end, he finally considers her feelings for the first time by tell her that he really hopes that she’s happy. For me, the ending was optimistic and showed how there’s always gonna be someone else and that you can still find love despite there being coincidences. I don’t think just him looking at the camera means he’s gonna revert back to his old ways. Just my thoughts.
I thought the whole Autumn thing was to point towards the cyclical nature of life, rather than straight-up destiny. I also thought the narrator wasn't the voice of god, but rather Tom's projection of his own "story," since he gets caught up in different kinds of pop culture romantic narratives. I think it's important to treat the narrator as Tom's, or else this movie's primary premise falls apart. But yeah, the movie uses semi-archetypical garbage people. They're all late 20's/early 30's people trapped in their lives, sort of looking for change without the will to actually work for it. It can be hard to be sympathetic to anyone in this movie, the only exception being Summer. We don't actually have a clear idea of who she is, just what Tom/unreliable narrator says she is. Tom may be nearly thirty, but he has the same relationship expectations as a fourteen year old. This whole movie feels like a period specific, public airing of grievances, with a couple of poignant moments that don't quite pull together.
I figure, the narrator, the "voice of God" represents the voice of the actual screenwriter commenting from above, which is why he is so biased toward Tom, the physical embodiment of the screenwriter. It's like when someone does that bullshit thing when they state their own opinion or describe their own shortcoming like its from or of a 3rd party. "People say X is going great," or "can you believe many folks don't know anything about Y?" Ascribe "Tom's" thoughts and feelings on a matter to a seemingly "impartial" 3rd party narrator to give them more legitimacy and so he would appear to be less of a narcissist / douchebag than if it were spoken in his own voice.
Just because Tom doesn't learn his lesson doesn't mean the movie takes his side. Jordan Belfort doesn't learn his either but I don't think the lesson of Wolf of Wall Street is that conning people out of their money is cool. His sister is the voice of reason throughout the movie and she regularly calls him on his bullshit. Even the ridiculousness of falling for a girl because she the Smiths is called out by the movie. The honest trailer even points out that he ignores all the good advice his sister and friends give him. Do you seriously not think that was intentional?
In the JGL tweet they mentioned about it being Tom's fault someone tagged and asked Marc Webb and the writers and they even said JGL was right. The movie is more self aware than SJs gives it credit for.
yup, I feel the "interview shots" in which paul says that robyn, his girlfriend is better than the girl of his dreams, because she is real, is really on the nose about this. because summer is obviously the girl of tom's dreams.
Am I the only guy who thinks dreams are really interesting especially to understand someone's broken pieces? I've always listened to my women's dreams/nightmares, they always said a looooot more than simple words
While I was one of the few with a positive view of the film as being about toxic relationships and that Tom was never a good guy, I still appreciate your viewpoints and interpretations and enjoyed your HT
I thought the movie was about how your perception of a relationship is different from the reality. Which seems true to me. I still really like the movie. The trailer was funny though. I feel like I don't need to agree with your actual opinion of the movie to enjoy funny jokes. kinda surprised at the turn of peoples opinions on this movie.
I don't see them really hating on the movie. They actually acknowledge the movie has a different premise, and it is a "real life" movie. I disagree with them on the narrator being "God", I take it as Tom's brain. That is why Summer is just a girl for the whole movie, he is actually really selfish and does not really care about her. As I don't see the Autumn girl being a "he grew" sign. It is a "Summer is over" sign, only.
@@ThreadBomb to interject, in craft I would say yes it might be But some of his films have a bit too much actual heartfelt emotion. It's a cut of impurity that makes the hipsters uncomfortable. The bathroom mirror scene in Royal tenenbaums would be an example.
@@oof-rr5nf Other than the band argument over Balls Deep vs Shit Sandwich I found Nick and Norah interminable hipster navelgazing and it put me of Cera for a good while. (though the silliness of Youth in Revolt somewhat made up for it.)
I've just noticed Dan tucks his feet into the foot ring of his chair. What if Spencer suddenly pushes him over? Would we lose Dan forever?? I think thoughts sometimes...
I hate this movie with a deep passion! Finally this movie gets ripped apart! People raved about how original it is when it is really an hour and a half episode of How I Met Your Mother. I mean, it features an aspiring architect dealing with unrequited love.
I agree. My roommate in college made me watch it with her like 57 times because it reminded her of her life and liked being sad? I don’t know, I just think both characters suck.
You still missed the point of the movie! It's not about Tom and his personality that the movie focuses on. The movie LITERALLY says 500 days of Summer. It signifies Tom's romantic and other escapades during his 20's. What happens to Tom isn't showing his growth in relationships, it's just a passage of time and things that change with it. His decision to pursue the career he studied for, choosing to wear a suit instead of a sweater, and more importantly the change around him. Summer never explicitly said "yes" to them going out or being in a relationship because you're nonchalant during your 20's and the relationships are more about the fun and the frolic with no guarantees, no commitments and no fixed plans. Autumn saying, "Sure" after Tom walks away signifies the change. The end of the summertime and the beginning of something new, something more assured, something familiar, something more logically related (the same job rather than the same taste in music, etc.)
Yeah, I always thought Summers behaviour doesn't make much sense. She has great chemistry with Tom, but doesn't want something serious. And like a month later she suddenly marries some other guy. It's weird. But then again, it's very real, I met girls like that. People often don't know what the want. This movie just feels like a very real movie, with believable characters. And that's one of the reason why I think it's great.
OMG I thought I was the only one who hated this film and Tom as a character! Thank you for this, you’re all invited to my wedding - my fiancé’s name is Winter
Tom is clearly the antagonist in this flick. It was not obvious from the get go, but by the time you finish the movie you realise he is an unpleasant obsessive with limited understanding of the world, and you're glad for Summer for meeting someone and having a good life.
I'm not sure I get this at all. Is it supposed to be that many people upon first seeing Fight Club regarded Tyler Durden as sort of a 'hero' character, something you should aspire to? Because I still love FC to this day, and it was clear to me on the very first viewing that's not what Tyler is.
@@kevinw712 I will be honest that when I saw Fight Club in college I wanted to be more like Tyler Durden, admiring how he questioned aspects of society and challenging the idea of how corporations essentially want us to lead a certain kind of life. I read six of Palahniuk's novels including Fight Club after watching the movie. I also identified with Tom Hansen when I saw 500 Days of Summer. Summer telling him she didn't want anything serious and then getting married less than two years after they started dating made me understand why he would be so upset, and what I admired about him was how he moved past his pain and used it to change his career path to fit his passion for architecture. Now that I'm out of my 20s I see both of these movies in a new light.
@@oof-rr5nf Continuing what I wrote in response to Kevin, my viewings of Fight Club and 500 Days of Summer have changed completely in the last decade. Watching Fight Club I see now how Norton's character becomes seduced by Tyler Durden's words and actions. While I used to think he gives an ultimatum to the gas station clerk because he wants to revolutionize the man's life, with how he strips everyone's identities away later in the movie I see now that Durden's real goal in the scene is to win Norton's character over to his belief system. Especially since immediately after the man runs away Durden says "Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K Hessel's life", and Norton's character says "You had to give it to him." Maggie Mae Fish had a great video about Fight Club, and while the initial spell the movie casts is broken for me I see how the movie masterfully works to win the audience over to Durden's beliefs. What I appreciated most about this commentary was how it showed that a similar technique is being used in 500 Days of Summer. The omniscient narrator presents statements as objective and true, but then makes the statement, "For Tom Hansen to find it now in a city of 400,000 offices , and 3.8 million people- well, that could only be explained by one thing: fate." Maybe it's because both of my novels are in first person and I'm always thinking about what the narrator's goal in telling their story, but lately I've been growing a distrust of "omniscient narrators." While I didn't see it the last time I watched 500 Days of Summer, I now see that both 500 Days and Fight Club's narrators have a clear point of view designed to influence how we interpret the narrative. We're meant not only to be Tom's side when he is AWFUL (As shown in the Honest Trailer), but the narrator wants us to believe that since Tom connecting with Summer is "Fate" then Tom meeting Autumn in the end is also fate. On that note, when I first heard Autumn say what her name was I'll admit I got goosebumps. Completely taken in by the presentation. Now I agree with the commentary that this clashes with what his friend says and a possible lesson he needs to learn: "Robyn's better than the girl of my dreams. She's real." Maybe in another version of this story Tom's belief that relationships derive from fate is proven wrong, but in this one it's interesting to see how the narrative works to embrace that idea. It was fun writing about this! While I know I want to make TH-cam videos about story, before writing this I wasn't sure what kinds of things I wanted to talk about. Curious to hear other views and thanks for asking about my take. :)
The Lobster was a little weirder than expected and deserves a repeat viewing from my part so I can actually decide what I feel about it. But it was very interesting, and a solid experience. I would recommend it.
I have never seen this movie and prior to this week, had no concept of what it is or covers except "romcom." As I watched this Honest Trailer, my mouth fell slightly open and my eyes started squinting in astonished bewilderment. My god, this looks awful! You guys really tore this one a new maggot hole. After watching this HT, I will never want, and may never be able, to watch this movie.
Fun fact, I think this is the first movie to ever really make me realize how much society has changed for the better since 2009. GREAT CHOICE! I think it’s very fun to discuss it. Keep up he great work SJ!
I've always seen this movie as being a referendum on the thought process that Tom and many people were brought up to believe in through the fairy tale Rom coms Hollywood has always made. The movie even includes the ending of the graduate to compare to tom's feelings towards summer. And in the graduate it ends with both characters visibly regretting their decision to run away together .And the end of tom's story is him not learning that lesson and continuing on a path to use romance with summer to solve all his problem Which is unfair to summer .This is a story about the power of belief in idealic romanticism and not having self awareness in life. It's framed through Tom's perspective to highlight that blind spot . He is a hopeless romantic who subconsciously thrives on that dichotomy between needing a relationship to save him but not understanding what a real relationship requires him to be ,which is to be less self involved and gain acceptance of the other person perspective. Summers place in the story is to be a blank slate of all of Tom's desires and to not be understood fully by both Tom and the audience. Which in all fairness does make her one dimensional but that's the thesis of the movie . To have a point of focus and drive for a main character oblivious to his own fundamental flaw and for the audience to see that play out. We on Tom's side throughout because this is a Rom com until he winks at the camera when we realize he hasn't grown yet and the cycle will continue. He's not a role model he's a character study
I am all for even-keeled commentary, but getting dangerously close to a full Dan Rant was great, I burst out laughing at the "faux deep-cut Ferris Bueller hipster bullshit" oh, man - many thanks to all four of you, spitting facts and cracking me up, everyone has been making this movie out as a twee-yet-deep statement on romance- it needed this hilarious drag so bad! and I needed the laughs, so, thank you
Oh I hated Tom the first time. I also hated John Cusack in High Fidelity. It actually makes me wonder if there's a Rom-com where I *won't* hate the protagonist.
I also disagree that Tom grows in the end. Arguably the beginning of the resolution of the movie is where he meets Summer in the park (after he's done all that growing) and she says to him that he was right about love and destiny and all that.
Except on Letterboxd, which sorts it under 5 (between 28 Weeks Later and 88. And I've just added 30 Days of Night and The 39 Steps, which I hadn't logged).
I don’t think I can add any new point after what Dan said here, but I still don’t think the “Tom still didn’t learn shit” interpretation devalues the movie that much. I have had several different phases of understanding of this film. Now it feels like a commentary on how men just don’t listen even though their experience should be enough for them to reflect upon and grow from. I don’t agree that it would only happen to college students. Having dealt with so many abuse cases, I can guarantee that 30, 40, 60-year-old people still don’t learn. To me however I see the movie is a reflection of how the culture in patriarchy societies formulated the way I see women and relationships. It changes because the culture norm has changed or the critics of culture that influence me have changed. We can talk about how Summer was not as rounded as she should be, AND acknowledge how so many people ignored the message that “this is not a love story” at the beginning, like Tom ignored Summer’s message that “this is not love.” That realization for an audience member is valuable. (And of course relationship is so much more than this one point and I can’t fucking figure out my own shit).
I think their point with the age of the characters was that it would be more understandable and perhaps forgivable from a character perspective if Tom was a teenager or in college because people that age can be immature about relationships but when they get older they realize that they were being immature. But if you're in your 30's, you should have experienced enough of life to know better.
Brian Schuler Yeah the character would be more forgivable if he were at an immature age. But the fact he is less forgivable at the end shouldn’t necessarily ruin the movie, right? It just makes it a bit darker. Also like I’ve already commented, older people can also not listen and they don’t learn just because they experienced something educational. If anything, there should not be a standard or list of things that people should be expected to have experienced at any age. It’s a construct that “others” and ostracizes people who don’t fit in that.
To graduate with a degree in Architecture is normally 5 years and you can get a Bachelors degree in Architecture (B'Arch) then its a couple years of working for an architect before you can take the license test to be an architect. Some if not most architects don't know how to actually build, looks great on paper but it's not buildable.
I haven't noticed that, but they do seem to think that the world below their building is two-dimensional and have to be repeatedly reminded when they're not working with a naturally flat pad.
@@josephfisher426 that and they don't think about how is the crazy design going to stay up and the loads happening on the building. I work a large commercial contractor and have seen some crazy design and had to figure out how to actually build the thing. They also over design sometimes making a design more completed and more costly then it needs to be when there is a simple way to do it and still get there design across.
@@alexanderrodriguez5347 Seems like not paying attention to building loads should be a way to lose errors & omissions coverage. Because YOU may know what you have to do, but there is some cut-rate contractor who won't. I know what you mean about design, but I think that's often the customers' fault: they want the pretty picture that the architect may have drawn originally, and won't take practical considerations for an answer.
@@josephfisher426 A structural engineer figures out the loads on the building but I have see an architect design a building that's leaning really far out that it looks like the thing will fall over if a bird were to sit at the top and the edge of the building, like a cartoon.
@@alexanderrodriguez5347 That sounds weird. How many people go for leaning walls? Division of labor with the people I work with seems to put the structure with the architect (it's usually just reading tables anyway) and the foundation with an engineer.
The theme of this movie isn't Tom is a villain or a psycho. Summer isn't one either. The theme is love. How we find our reasons for living in the false impressions we have of others.
fuck yeah! tarantino flicks need more deconstruction. mostly what i come across is just straight-forward praise for his work and that is just not the same.
A rom-com without character growth seems like a such a waste of time. Being flawed at the beginning is fine. Even going downhill instead of up is fine for some stories, but one way or another, you've got to have an arc. =/
Joe's analogy of comedians doing lazy president jokes is so good, it's one of my pet peeves with current comedy especially being an Australian unless you've got good jokes related to it I don't care about politics.
I think it has actually aged quite well for most of the internet people, who is in their mid 20 right now, and so watched this movie in their 15~. When I first watched this movie, I saw only his side. Now, more matured, I understand both sides.
8:29 I think the writer based the story on his relationship and break-up during his year in college. So I agree, it would've been better if it was set in college or High School
"Between her giant bug eyes and his constant squinting, they had a shot at normal-eyed children." Too funny! Kudos to the writer and Jon Bailey's epic delivery. Cheers!
The "Winter Is Coming" joke made me laugh so hard
This is my favorite movie. I first watched as a teenager and found it relatable because chicks were the worst and ‘friend zone’.
Then I watched it in my 20s and realized I related to it because I was the worst.
Now I look back and laugh at how selfish I was, how unrealistic my expectations were and how bad the lessons movies teach us about dating are.
SAME.
I'll never understand how people don't get that media influences you whether you notice are not. Not all media influences all people the same way either. The people arguing against that being a thing are usually people who have been influenced and don't realize it. They say things, "well I watched/played this and it had not effect on me." Not realizing that stuff is probably the reason they have an anger problem or have negative opinions about certain groups of people. They think they came about their beliefs completely organically on their own.
Pretty much this. This was a movie made to let bad guys feel like they're good
Right?! I watched when it came out, I was 20 and I felt like Summer was a B and Tom deserved better... Now just thinking of it I'm like "oh boy! Was I wrong or what?!"
But what in the hell, should a movie teach you lessons. Why they can’t be like love songs? When you are in love you relate to them, when you are not, you see them with cynicism and realize that they are about unhealthy dependencies.
Thx, everyone!
Can you say: "bears are just large cats" in the next Honest Trailer?
EpicVoiceGuy Do Hard Target! Come on already!
Why aren’t you on these, Jon?
Yeah. You killed it dude!
Peyton Parker would love to see John on the commentaries too.
Sweaters are to Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character what plaid shirts are to Dan.
And his baseball cap.
baseball cap is for covering his bold spot and doesn't contribute to his character whatsoever
His fsu cap in particular, remember he is a proud southerner
@@deathsyth8888 he's just bald and in denial.
Confirmed? I've seen him without the hat and didn't see a bald spot
that montage at the end makes me think that Tom TOTALLY has a ton of dead women in his closet.
Exactly. There's an eerie similarity to Joe from "YOU"
18:15 "I knew my boyfriend loved me when he asked me about my dream once." I loved that!
His reasoning for why they should be in a relationship, is like pursuing someone because they liked your Facebook profile picture
Also “fight club” of rom-coms is like the first article that pops up when you google 500 days now.
google promotes any article that mentions fight club - especially after their CEO stopped promising that google will not harm people
@@cleaner9150 LUL
You just broke the first two rules of fight club
I'd love to see the sequel where 40 year old, post-divorce JGL looks back on his past and cringes. He self actualizes, learns how to be just friends with a woman, and concludes with him being just as single as before. But like content or something.
OMG all of you stopping right in the middle to google puma tails!!!! I can’t believe how funny that was.
Could you please do an honest trailer for "Her"?
Seconded!
Thirded! I don't think I've ever thought "why am I watching this" followed 15 minutes later by "why am I still watching this?" while simultaneously not thinking it was dragging.
Girl, I love you. Your mind. That would honestly be so welcome. Imagine the commentary afterwards. I am crying already.
Michael Bluth:...Her?
People who were saying that Tom's the good guy and grows and yada yada have a serious incel vibe. Tom is a creep.
Every lead character in a rom com is a creep if you think about it.
Yea. I prefer female made rom coms because the men are always so 3 dimensional.
VideoVoid TV Not sure if that comment was ironic or not.
Badidea Bearcub 100% sarcasm.
Many rom-coms have been doing this for like decades now. Often regarding what would in the real word be borderline (if not overt, straight up) stalking as adorable determination for love. I've heard plenty of actors who've appeared in the movies say this very thing.
Comedians calling being an architect a quirky job. Bold, very bold
Architects irl: Usually not that quirky.
Architects in romcoms: Might as well be the WB frog.
It's so quirky, that it's a quick.
correction: christian comedians calling being a christian architect a quirky job, because christians think science is devil
That wasn't his job. His job was a greeting card writer. He was an ASPIRING architect
27pattywhack2 i know, i’ve seen the movie. They said something like that in a video and i found it funny so i made a joke
"Sad boi, writing Happy things"... LOL
I think a lot of the alternative renamed endings were amazing.
This is my favourite commentary line up!! Bounce so well off each other!!
5:26 - uh, no. The montage didn’t prove that she was worse; it proved that there was no clear connection between them and that the breakup didn’t come out of nowhere.
I see it the same way but you gotta admit there is room for multiple interpretations here. Her sister encourages her to look back on their relationship without rose-colored glasses and I don't remember the dialogue but the scene can ALSO be seen as "she was distant throughout the relationship because she didn't care, but you cared Tom and you deserve better!" - I would see that as a perfectly valid conclusion to get to with the way the film frames it. You know?
21:30 is a fantastic Dan Rant
It's a pretty good movie that fails to nail the landing. The hack Hollywood ending is the one we got where JGL finds the right girl and lives happily ever after. The real world ending involves learning how to be happy and adjusted without depending on a relationship. (Much harder to montage that self-discovery). To be honest I don't know if the screenwriter himself ever got to that point, which is why we got shallow ending.
dmfuerte that would probably make a lot of sense. If it’s his F-You to an ex he probably feels the ending is a happy ending and he is the good guy who learned something even if incredibly incredibly shallow because that’s where he was at. It was how he felt at the time
@@horrorfan1415 Hopefully the screenwriter is not like that anymore otherwise he's probably an abusive, misogynistic prick.
I always took the ending to mean that Tom is doomed to make the same mistake all over again, exactly as blind to his pitfalls as before.
well when your press junket for the movie is bragging about what a bitch your ex is and how you really pwnd her by making this movie about her... you definitely didnt ever reach that point, and all the profound meanings that could possibly be hidden in this movie go right out the window because the writer was a shallow douche nozzle
"The hack Hollywood ending is the one we got where JGL finds the right girl and lives happily ever after."
I did not at all take that from the end. It was just a simple scene to show he hadn't changed in any meaningful way. There are no indicators that the girls is right, that they live happily ever after or that they even get a second date..
The point of the movie to me is that Tom is an idealist and because he feels such a strong connection to Summer, he thinks he is owed a proper relationship. Summer isn't into it so Tom goes through heart break and eventually matures....a LITTLE, just like people in real life, its not a complete 180. In the end, Summer is not bad, Tom is not bad, they are people with different motivations and emotions, different lenses for viewing the world. I also see it as a commentary on the "nice guys gets the girl in the end" story. Love isn't about who can be the nicest it's about that indescribable connection you achieve with another person when you live and open yourself to others in an authentic way.
I agree, and like Dan said that tom ends up in the same place at the end of the movie .I disagree with Dan we dont know that. maybe he matured , maybe he takes a different approach to the relationship based on his experience with summer.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@@ThreadBomb I consider him going for his dream job is a step in the right direction. The ending was kind of dumb though lol
Teenage me always liked the movie because it was two horrible people disguised as charming, quirky, way too attractive actors in a car crash of a relationship and in my cynical teenage brain that made perfect sense because love is pain and everyone is an asshole. Clearly I was the life of the party. 😅
don't worry about it, you could not have been a more irritating teenager than me
We've all been there. I saw this after a girl I tried to woe for more than a year got a sugar-daddy and I kinda agreed with your conclusion. It's kinda rough now but I still enjoy it a bit.
Tom not learning from his experience from Summer and still believing in fate and the perfect woman reinforces that this is a commentary on the manic pixie dream girl trope in films.
It's not about Tom learning. It's about Tom letting go because they weren't good together. That's the point.
@@HermanFalckHow That's not how I interpret it. The fact that her name is Autumn which comes after Summer makes Tom believe she is the one. His whole problem, as shown in the opening narration, is that he has always based his idea of love and romance from movies and love songs. He believes in true love and how the guy gets the girl because they are meant to be. Summer showed him that's not how real love works. He didn't learn and smirks at the camera because he's back on his same old bullshit.
Do you really think he didn’t learn anything though? I mean, he got his heart broken (through his own fault) and even quit his job, not before making this speech about how the greeting cards and movies and songs are to blame for his views about love and the heartache that follows. And throughout the film he was only concerned with his own happiness and how Summer made him feel but at the very end, he finally considers her feelings for the first time by tell her that he really hopes that she’s happy. For me, the ending was optimistic and showed how there’s always gonna be someone else and that you can still find love despite there being coincidences. I don’t think just him looking at the camera means he’s gonna revert back to his old ways. Just my thoughts.
I thought the whole Autumn thing was to point towards the cyclical nature of life, rather than straight-up destiny. I also thought the narrator wasn't the voice of god, but rather Tom's projection of his own "story," since he gets caught up in different kinds of pop culture romantic narratives. I think it's important to treat the narrator as Tom's, or else this movie's primary premise falls apart.
But yeah, the movie uses semi-archetypical garbage people. They're all late 20's/early 30's people trapped in their lives, sort of looking for change without the will to actually work for it. It can be hard to be sympathetic to anyone in this movie, the only exception being Summer. We don't actually have a clear idea of who she is, just what Tom/unreliable narrator says she is. Tom may be nearly thirty, but he has the same relationship expectations as a fourteen year old.
This whole movie feels like a period specific, public airing of grievances, with a couple of poignant moments that don't quite pull together.
I think the screenwriter used Puma because he couldn't remember the word Python, and figured Puma was close enough and moved on.
Guys I love this but you got to let Danielle talk.
This commentary seriously made me cry of laughter! 😆 😂 🤣
I figure, the narrator, the "voice of God" represents the voice of the actual screenwriter commenting from above, which is why he is so biased toward Tom, the physical embodiment of the screenwriter. It's like when someone does that bullshit thing when they state their own opinion or describe their own shortcoming like its from or of a 3rd party. "People say X is going great," or "can you believe many folks don't know anything about Y?" Ascribe "Tom's" thoughts and feelings on a matter to a seemingly "impartial" 3rd party narrator to give them more legitimacy and so he would appear to be less of a narcissist / douchebag than if it were spoken in his own voice.
Just because Tom doesn't learn his lesson doesn't mean the movie takes his side. Jordan Belfort doesn't learn his either but I don't think the lesson of Wolf of Wall Street is that conning people out of their money is cool.
His sister is the voice of reason throughout the movie and she regularly calls him on his bullshit. Even the ridiculousness of falling for a girl because she the Smiths is called out by the movie.
The honest trailer even points out that he ignores all the good advice his sister and friends give him. Do you seriously not think that was intentional?
In the JGL tweet they mentioned about it being Tom's fault someone tagged and asked Marc Webb and the writers and they even said JGL was right. The movie is more self aware than SJs gives it credit for.
yup, I feel the "interview shots" in which paul says that robyn, his girlfriend is better than the girl of his dreams, because she is real, is really on the nose about this. because summer is obviously the girl of tom's dreams.
Am I the only guy who thinks dreams are really interesting especially to understand someone's broken pieces?
I've always listened to my women's dreams/nightmares, they always said a looooot more than simple words
The director's attempt to get back at his ex by making this, *really* backfired😂
Joe's face in the thumbnail lmao!!!!!!!!
That last couple of scenes made me think "Summer... you have to run, girl" #MeToo
in hitchhikers guide to the galaxy her character is a mathematician
While I was one of the few with a positive view of the film as being about toxic relationships and that Tom was never a good guy, I still appreciate your viewpoints and interpretations and enjoyed your HT
It wasn't the voice of god or even an objective narrator. It was how tom imagined a narrator would tell their story
What part of the movie leads you to that conclusion?
@@ThreadBomb damn dude... that's deep. sincerely.
Any chance of getting JGL in for an honest trailer reaction?
sounds like something he would be into since he keeps shutting down people who aspire to be Tom
Now I want to see a Don Jon Honest Trailer
really underrated film, it was pretty good
it took me longer than it should have to realize the analyst from criminal minds is the friend
This commentary makes the trailer even better
Okay but the winter is coming joke is choke myself laughing…
"Crazy", huh? We're finally getting the Serial Mom Honest Trailer at least one of us has been demanding!
You guys make strong points! I liked the movie back in the day, but I should go back and watch it again and reconsider.
The narrator is "the voice of God," sure, but more important: he's also the voice of Victor Goddamn Sullivan from "Uncharted."
I thought the movie was about how your perception of a relationship is different from the reality. Which seems true to me. I still really like the movie. The trailer was funny though. I feel like I don't need to agree with your actual opinion of the movie to enjoy funny jokes. kinda surprised at the turn of peoples opinions on this movie.
I don't see them really hating on the movie. They actually acknowledge the movie has a different premise, and it is a "real life" movie. I disagree with them on the narrator being "God", I take it as Tom's brain. That is why Summer is just a girl for the whole movie, he is actually really selfish and does not really care about her. As I don't see the Autumn girl being a "he grew" sign. It is a "Summer is over" sign, only.
anwar morse especially that ending is literally a moving meme of the reality vs expectations
@@brennomachado5585 well in m opinion summer was selfish, and thats y i think movie was great it made people talk about movie ad idea.
I'm really into this totally obscure 80s band Duran Duran. I'll bet you've never heard of them. 🤓
This is so savage and I LOVE IT.
In Her, Joaquin Pheonix's character doesn't write greeting cards...he writes "handwritten" letter that are unique for each customer.
This commentary made me realise....this not a quirky, stylised Wes Anderson like movie......THIS IS 'GRADE A' HIPSTER HEROIN
Right up there with Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist for such things.
@@ThreadBomb to interject, in craft I would say yes it might be But some of his films have a bit too much actual heartfelt emotion. It's a cut of impurity that makes the hipsters uncomfortable. The bathroom mirror scene in Royal tenenbaums would be an example.
@@oneopinion6806 that wasn't nearly as well-made tho (Nick and Norah... I mean)
@@oneopinion6806 fantastic mr. fox made me feel a lotta feelings, a point in mr. anderson's favour
@@oof-rr5nf Other than the band argument over Balls Deep vs Shit Sandwich I found Nick and Norah interminable hipster navelgazing and it put me of Cera for a good while. (though the silliness of Youth in Revolt somewhat made up for it.)
My problem is that the Directors, Writers and Actors all say that Tom is the bad dude. The only thing not saying that Tom is a bad dude is the script.
I've just noticed Dan tucks his feet into the foot ring of his chair. What if Spencer suddenly pushes him over? Would we lose Dan forever?? I think thoughts sometimes...
what a coincidence, I _too_ think thoughts on occasion . . .
Yes
I hate this movie with a deep passion! Finally this movie gets ripped apart! People raved about how original it is when it is really an hour and a half episode of How I Met Your Mother. I mean, it features an aspiring architect dealing with unrequited love.
I agree. My roommate in college made me watch it with her like 57 times because it reminded her of her life and liked being sad? I don’t know, I just think both characters suck.
honestly writing greeting cards seems like a sweet gig
You still missed the point of the movie! It's not about Tom and his personality that the movie focuses on. The movie LITERALLY says 500 days of Summer. It signifies Tom's romantic and other escapades during his 20's. What happens to Tom isn't showing his growth in relationships, it's just a passage of time and things that change with it. His decision to pursue the career he studied for, choosing to wear a suit instead of a sweater, and more importantly the change around him. Summer never explicitly said "yes" to them going out or being in a relationship because you're nonchalant during your 20's and the relationships are more about the fun and the frolic with no guarantees, no commitments and no fixed plans. Autumn saying, "Sure" after Tom walks away signifies the change. The end of the summertime and the beginning of something new, something more assured, something familiar, something more logically related (the same job rather than the same taste in music, etc.)
Both those characters were not great people. Don't @ me
True, that's honestly why I liked it 😂
Yeah, because bad relationships (which almost everyone goes through) makes you a bad person. It's like it's... what's the word? A theme.
Yeah, I always thought Summers behaviour doesn't make much sense. She has great chemistry with Tom, but doesn't want something serious. And like a month later she suddenly marries some other guy. It's weird. But then again, it's very real, I met girls like that. People often don't know what the want. This movie just feels like a very real movie, with believable characters. And that's one of the reason why I think it's great.
@@The_RedVIII dont forget she also invited him to the engagement party without a heads up
@Julia Mimi I'm definitely staying away from this discussion.
This is the Dream team of Honest Trailer Commenteries
Been waiting for this one ALL DAY!!
OMG I thought I was the only one who hated this film and Tom as a character! Thank you for this, you’re all invited to my wedding - my fiancé’s name is Winter
This is a really funny honest trailer, one of my favorites recently
I loved 500 days of summer. I also love screen junkies news. And honest trailers commentaries. Do what thou wilt with that one.
Tom is clearly the antagonist in this flick. It was not obvious from the get go, but by the time you finish the movie you realise he is an unpleasant obsessive with limited understanding of the world, and you're glad for Summer for meeting someone and having a good life.
Funny how you say "This is the Fight Club of romcoms" since I just bought both movies on DVD and rewatched them, annnnnnd this take is accurate.
talk to me about yoyr rewatch of fight club!!!!! i find people's takes on that film so interesting even tho i don't like the film itself that much
I'm not sure I get this at all. Is it supposed to be that many people upon first seeing Fight Club regarded Tyler Durden as sort of a 'hero' character, something you should aspire to? Because I still love FC to this day, and it was clear to me on the very first viewing that's not what Tyler is.
@@kevinw712 I will be honest that when I saw Fight Club in college I wanted to be more like Tyler Durden, admiring how he questioned aspects of society and challenging the idea of how corporations essentially want us to lead a certain kind of life. I read six of Palahniuk's novels including Fight Club after watching the movie.
I also identified with Tom Hansen when I saw 500 Days of Summer. Summer telling him she didn't want anything serious and then getting married less than two years after they started dating made me understand why he would be so upset, and what I admired about him was how he moved past his pain and used it to change his career path to fit his passion for architecture. Now that I'm out of my 20s I see both of these movies in a new light.
@@oof-rr5nf Continuing what I wrote in response to Kevin, my viewings of Fight Club and 500 Days of Summer have changed completely in the last decade. Watching Fight Club I see now how Norton's character becomes seduced by Tyler Durden's words and actions. While I used to think he gives an ultimatum to the gas station clerk because he wants to revolutionize the man's life, with how he strips everyone's identities away later in the movie I see now that Durden's real goal in the scene is to win Norton's character over to his belief system. Especially since immediately after the man runs away Durden says "Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K Hessel's life", and Norton's character says "You had to give it to him." Maggie Mae Fish had a great video about Fight Club, and while the initial spell the movie casts is broken for me I see how the movie masterfully works to win the audience over to Durden's beliefs.
What I appreciated most about this commentary was how it showed that a similar technique is being used in 500 Days of Summer. The omniscient narrator presents statements as objective and true, but then makes the statement, "For Tom Hansen to find it now in a city of 400,000 offices , and 3.8 million people- well, that could only be explained by one thing: fate." Maybe it's because both of my novels are in first person and I'm always thinking about what the narrator's goal in telling their story, but lately I've been growing a distrust of "omniscient narrators." While I didn't see it the last time I watched 500 Days of Summer, I now see that both 500 Days and Fight Club's narrators have a clear point of view designed to influence how we interpret the narrative. We're meant not only to be Tom's side when he is AWFUL (As shown in the Honest Trailer), but the narrator wants us to believe that since Tom connecting with Summer is "Fate" then Tom meeting Autumn in the end is also fate.
On that note, when I first heard Autumn say what her name was I'll admit I got goosebumps. Completely taken in by the presentation. Now I agree with the commentary that this clashes with what his friend says and a possible lesson he needs to learn: "Robyn's better than the girl of my dreams. She's real." Maybe in another version of this story Tom's belief that relationships derive from fate is proven wrong, but in this one it's interesting to see how the narrative works to embrace that idea.
It was fun writing about this! While I know I want to make TH-cam videos about story, before writing this I wasn't sure what kinds of things I wanted to talk about. Curious to hear other views and thanks for asking about my take. :)
Can you do a trailer on The Lobster? Have I seen it? No. Does it sound great? Yes.
The Lobster was a little weirder than expected and deserves a repeat viewing from my part so I can actually decide what I feel about it. But it was very interesting, and a solid experience. I would recommend it.
Oh, that’s an interesting movie and weird. Would love to see their take on it, or any movie by the Lanthimos
I have never seen this movie and prior to this week, had no concept of what it is or covers except "romcom." As I watched this Honest Trailer, my mouth fell slightly open and my eyes started squinting in astonished bewilderment. My god, this looks awful! You guys really tore this one a new maggot hole. After watching this HT, I will never want, and may never be able, to watch this movie.
creating buildings with your mind?, this is prequel to inception!
"...there's this movie Seasons Greetings'..." and "Shade!" - Spencer J. Gilbert, 2019.
Loved the stalker montage at the end!
"Faux deep cut Ferris Bueller hipster bullsh*t" needs to be a shirt.
Fun fact, I think this is the first movie to ever really make me realize how much society has changed for the better since 2009. GREAT CHOICE! I think it’s very fun to discuss it. Keep up he great work SJ!
The title should be 500 days of Stalking
Legendary Spencer! Awesome opening 🤘😅
I've always seen this movie as being a referendum on the thought process that Tom and many people were brought up to believe in through the fairy tale Rom coms Hollywood has always made. The movie even includes the ending of the graduate to compare to tom's feelings towards summer. And in the graduate it ends with both characters visibly regretting their decision to run away together .And the end of tom's story is him not learning that lesson and continuing on a path to use romance with summer to solve all his problem Which is unfair to summer .This is a story about the power of belief in idealic romanticism and not having self awareness in life. It's framed through Tom's perspective to highlight that blind spot . He is a hopeless romantic who subconsciously thrives on that dichotomy between needing a relationship to save him but not understanding what a real relationship requires him to be ,which is to be less self involved and gain acceptance of the other person perspective. Summers place in the story is to be a blank slate of all of Tom's desires and to not be understood fully by both Tom and the audience. Which in all fairness does make her one dimensional but that's the thesis of the movie . To have a point of focus and drive for a main character oblivious to his own fundamental flaw and for the audience to see that play out. We on Tom's side throughout because this is a Rom com until he winks at the camera when we realize he hasn't grown yet and the cycle will continue. He's not a role model he's a character study
These is a record shop in my hometown that has an adult movie section just like in the movie. And it's still in business somehow!
I am all for even-keeled commentary, but getting dangerously close to a full Dan Rant was great, I burst out laughing at the "faux deep-cut Ferris Bueller hipster bullshit"
oh, man - many thanks to all four of you, spitting facts and cracking me up, everyone has been making this movie out as a twee-yet-deep statement on romance- it needed this hilarious drag so bad! and I needed the laughs, so, thank you
Reality is worse. Modern relationships are overly complicated because people are stupid.
Screen Junkies always has the best supercuts.
Oh I hated Tom the first time. I also hated John Cusack in High Fidelity. It actually makes me wonder if there's a Rom-com where I *won't* hate the protagonist.
I love this honest trailer and 500 days of summer is one of my favorite movies
I also disagree that Tom grows in the end. Arguably the beginning of the resolution of the movie is where he meets Summer in the park (after he's done all that growing) and she says to him that he was right about love and destiny and all that.
I've been obsessed like this. She drove me crazy. It happens.
Danm you Spencer, you're right. It is first, right before the "[REC]" movies
Except on Letterboxd, which sorts it under 5 (between 28 Weeks Later and 88. And I've just added 30 Days of Night and The 39 Steps, which I hadn't logged).
I don’t think I can add any new point after what Dan said here, but I still don’t think the “Tom still didn’t learn shit” interpretation devalues the movie that much. I have had several different phases of understanding of this film. Now it feels like a commentary on how men just don’t listen even though their experience should be enough for them to reflect upon and grow from. I don’t agree that it would only happen to college students. Having dealt with so many abuse cases, I can guarantee that 30, 40, 60-year-old people still don’t learn.
To me however I see the movie is a reflection of how the culture in patriarchy societies formulated the way I see women and relationships. It changes because the culture norm has changed or the critics of culture that influence me have changed.
We can talk about how Summer was not as rounded as she should be, AND acknowledge how so many people ignored the message that “this is not a love story” at the beginning, like Tom ignored Summer’s message that “this is not love.” That realization for an audience member is valuable.
(And of course relationship is so much more than this one point and I can’t fucking figure out my own shit).
I think their point with the age of the characters was that it would be more understandable and perhaps forgivable from a character perspective if Tom was a teenager or in college because people that age can be immature about relationships but when they get older they realize that they were being immature. But if you're in your 30's, you should have experienced enough of life to know better.
Brian Schuler Yeah the character would be more forgivable if he were at an immature age. But the fact he is less forgivable at the end shouldn’t necessarily ruin the movie, right? It just makes it a bit darker. Also like I’ve already commented, older people can also not listen and they don’t learn just because they experienced something educational. If anything, there should not be a standard or list of things that people should be expected to have experienced at any age. It’s a construct that “others” and ostracizes people who don’t fit in that.
PLEASE do Big Trouble In Little China!
YESSSSSS!!!!!!! And Dr. Detroit! 🤖
I love how angry Dan is about this movie.
I lorbe him 💜
Hi Kevin the editor! Thank you so much for blessing us with the montage of crazy Tom moments! We love you!
There is a HUGE difference between my high school/college self vs my 40 year self in relationships.
Which version is happier?
With knowledge and experience, there is a whole world of difference.
It was great finding out what makes this film talked about pretty well. And getting that quote from the writer was priceless. Keep it up!
To graduate with a degree in Architecture is normally 5 years and you can get a Bachelors degree in Architecture (B'Arch) then its a couple years of working for an architect before you can take the license test to be an architect.
Some if not most architects don't know how to actually build, looks great on paper but it's not buildable.
I haven't noticed that, but they do seem to think that the world below their building is two-dimensional and have to be repeatedly reminded when they're not working with a naturally flat pad.
@@josephfisher426 that and they don't think about how is the crazy design going to stay up and the loads happening on the building. I work a large commercial contractor and have seen some crazy design and had to figure out how to actually build the thing. They also over design sometimes making a design more completed and more costly then it needs to be when there is a simple way to do it and still get there design across.
@@alexanderrodriguez5347 Seems like not paying attention to building loads should be a way to lose errors & omissions coverage. Because YOU may know what you have to do, but there is some cut-rate contractor who won't. I know what you mean about design, but I think that's often the customers' fault: they want the pretty picture that the architect may have drawn originally, and won't take practical considerations for an answer.
@@josephfisher426 A structural engineer figures out the loads on the building but I have see an architect design a building that's leaning really far out that it looks like the thing will fall over if a bird were to sit at the top and the edge of the building, like a cartoon.
@@alexanderrodriguez5347 That sounds weird. How many people go for leaning walls?
Division of labor with the people I work with seems to put the structure with the architect (it's usually just reading tables anyway) and the foundation with an engineer.
The theme of this movie isn't Tom is a villain or a psycho. Summer isn't one either. The theme is love. How we find our reasons for living in the false impressions we have of others.
There is a Zia here in AZ that both sells vinyls, and DVDs - still functioning today - it’s both awesome and the most hipster thing
Please do all Tarantino honest trailers please!
fuck yeah! tarantino flicks need more deconstruction. mostly what i come across is just straight-forward praise for his work and that is just not the same.
Missed Joe last week, great that he's back. :D
A rom-com without character growth seems like a such a waste of time. Being flawed at the beginning is fine. Even going downhill instead of up is fine for some stories, but one way or another, you've got to have an arc. =/
No you don't. A story can be just a story.
Joe's analogy of comedians doing lazy president jokes is so good, it's one of my pet peeves with current comedy especially being an Australian unless you've got good jokes related to it I don't care about politics.
I'm still hoping you guys do Us (2019)
so I guess AriAster Midsummer is a better version of 500 days of summer since they are both about an ex girlfriend/ bad breakup
I had the same thought
"Sad boy writing happy things" sounds like a music project created by an online indie musician.
... Thanks, guys! 😅😅
You guys are so metro for doing this movie.
It was a cute and endearing film when it came out (if you didn't think about it too hard). That being said, it has not aged well.
I think it has actually aged quite well for most of the internet people, who is in their mid 20 right now, and so watched this movie in their 15~. When I first watched this movie, I saw only his side. Now, more matured, I understand both sides.
8:29 I think the writer based the story on his relationship and break-up during his year in college. So I agree, it would've been better if it was set in college or High School