Movie: 500 Days of Summer

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel

NEW LOVE: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, left, and Zooey Deschanel in a scene from their new movie 500 Days of Summer.

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This, says the narrator is a story of boy meets girl, but it's not a love story.

So begins 500 Days of Summer, one of the best movies I've seen this year, and certainly the best romantic comedy I've seen in a very long time.

Gordon-Levitt is Tom, a romantic at heart, who believes he's met the girl of his dreams when he meets Summer (Deschanel).

Unfortunately, Summer doesn't believe in love.

Despite this little obstacle, Tom and Summer start going out.

They're happy, and certainly act like they're in love, but Summer won't let herself fall for Tom.

It's hard to convey the sheer charm of 500 Days of Summer without making it sound cheesy.

There is no cheese here, however. It's quirky and lovely, and very, very close to perfect. The quirk-factor is – on occasion – in danger of falling over once in a while, but the sheer likability of the leads – especially Gordon-Levitt as love-confused Tom means that 500 Days of Summer stays on the right side of charming and quirky, rather than falling into a cringe-fest.

The other star of the film is the cinematography, which is not something usually noticeable in romantic comedies, but this is so beautifully shot it's hard not to notice it.

Tom's an architect by trade, although he's working at a greeting-card company, and the buildings of New Jersey – where the film is set – feature prominently.

There's also little sketches along the way, letting us know how many days of Summer Tom has had.

And yes, it's a boy meets girl story.

But is it a love story?

Go and see for yourself.

Take your mum, your best friend and your sister.

You won't be sorry.

It almost restores my faith in romantic comedies as a genre.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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