If You're Still Mad About The '(500) Days of Summer' Ending, You Probably Missed This Easter Egg
Chloe Williams serves as B+C’s Entertainment Editor and resident Taylor Swift expert. Whether she’s writing a movie review or interviewing the stars of the latest hit show, Chloe loves exploring why stories inspire us. You can see her work published in BuzzFeed, Coastal Review, and North Beach Sun. When she’s not writing, Chloe’s probably watching a Marvel movie with a cherry coke or texting her sister about the latest celebrity news. Say hi at @thechloewilliams on Insta and @popculturechlo on Twitter!
If you've spent even a single day on TikTok in the last year, there's a good chance the viral "I love the The Smiths" "Sorry?" "I said I love The Smiths!" has come across your For You Page. The audio comes from the iconic 2009 film (500) Days of Summer, an indie that follows Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer's (Zooey Deschanel) 500-day relationship. While The Smiths play a pivotal role in the characters' introduction, music in general serves as a huge Easter egg for the characters' future.
@searchlightpics I LOVE THE SMITHS 🎧 #500DaysOfSummer ♬ original sound - Searchlight Pictures
Even though the narrator of (500) Days of Summer warns the audience in the first minute that it's not a love story — and Summer tells Tom she's not looking for a relationship — their breakup continues to get a very emotional response from fans. But even if the narrator hadn't let us know, the music serves as its own hint!
On the DVD commentary, the (500) Days of Summer creative team reveals the movie soundtrack features a variety of bands who had split by that point, to signify that Summer and Tom's relationship was doomed from the start. Simon & Garfunkel, The Smiths, Hall & Oates, and the then-broken up Mumm-Ra were all featured in the film.
While the music, the narrator, and even Summer herself express themselves pretty clearly, I find myself getting so swept up in the dreamy quality of the story that the breakup always feels like a surprise — which makes the movie even more emotional. Another detail that makes me emotion? The movie just turned 15!
"I can’t believe it’s been 15 years since this film came out," Zooey Deschanel captioned an Instagram carousel. "Everything about making it and putting it out into the world felt like magic to me. So blessed to have been a part of it."
The Instagram post features stills from the movie and plenty of behind-the-scenes shots that give even more life to the story we know and love. I can totally imagine Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel making each other laugh or goofing off together in between takes. Time for a rewatch!
Comment your favorite (500) Days of Summer scene on Facebook!
Lead image via Fox Searchlight Pictures
Chloe Williams serves as B+C’s Entertainment Editor and resident Taylor Swift expert. Whether she’s writing a movie review or interviewing the stars of the latest hit show, Chloe loves exploring why stories inspire us. You can see her work published in BuzzFeed, Coastal Review, and North Beach Sun. When she’s not writing, Chloe’s probably watching a Marvel movie with a cherry coke or texting her sister about the latest celebrity news. Say hi at @thechloewilliams on Insta and @popculturechlo on Twitter!