(500) Days of Summer, directed by first-timer Marc Webb, begins with a voice-over warning the audience: “It’s a story of boy meets girl but you should know up front: This is not a love story”. Reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Memento, the movie has a clever and witty non-linear screenplay which depicts the romance like a collection of memories from our main character’s point of view. How he met the girl, the infatuation, the deflation and how they break up. This movie is easily the best romantic comedy in years and shows you the formulaic and stagnant genre still has some life.

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a hopelessly romantic greeting-card writer, looking for his soulmate, the girl. From the moment he first talks to Summer (Zooey Deschanel), he is persuaded that she is the one. The only problem is that Summer is the complete opposite of him, a realist who doesn’t believe in true love. She explains: “Relationships are messy and feelings get hurt. Who needs that?” She only wants a friendship with benefits and no commitment whatsoever. This difference of opinion on the nature of love ultimately sours their non-relationship and Summer ends their casual fling. I did not spoil the movie by the way. The warning in the first sentence of this review should have clued you in.

The movie is elevated thanks to strong performance from the two leads. I had my doubts initially that Joseph Gordon-Levitt would be able to play a convincing romantic lead but he dispelled those quickly. He is charming and offbeat as the hopeless romantic and you can’t help but root for him. The ravishing Zooey Deschanel is absolutely adorable in a quirky free-spirited girlfriend role she has played effortlessly countless times. Unfortunately, she is quickly becoming a one-trick pony and I hope she will be able to expand her range outside that type of role.The two have excellent chemistry and it’s not hard to believe that both are complex characters with feelings and motivations and why they are attracted to each other.

The one thing I have to complain about is this cliche of a guy turning to his teen or pre-teen sister (Chloe Moretz) for romantic advice. That’s stupid, stop using this artificial device Hollywood! That’s pretty much the only complaint I have about the movie. The movie is beautifully shot with Los Angeles as a backdrop. It’s funny, quirky and serious all at the same time, giving a believable depiction of the highs and lows of a relationship and of falling in and out of love. To end it, the carefully chosen songs are the cherries on the cake, setting the appropriate mood for their corresponding sequences.

A quirky and utterly delightful romantic comedy that manages to be both light and serious, (500) Days of Summer is a must-see.

A-

Notes: PG-13 for sexual material and language. 95 minutes.