By By Chelsea Reil, News Staff

As far as recent romantic comedies go, ‘(500) Days of Summer’ is one of the best. This delightful film starts with the breakup of Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel).’

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Hansen, a wannabe architect who makes a living writing greeting cards, is devastated by his breakup with Finn, the new assistant at the office, who ‘doesn’t want anything serious’ despite their compatibility.’

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The movie goes backward and forward in time, skipping between their courtship and the after-effects of their breakup.

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There is a tried and true formula for Hollywood romantic comedies: ‘ Boy meets girl, they fall in love, they fight and in the last 10 minutes, complete with a grand romantic gesture or two, everyone is happy.’

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But ‘(500) Days’ doesn’t work like that. Knowing that Hansen is heartbroken at the beginning of the film allows the possibility for anything happen in the remaining plot.

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Deschanel plays the quirky and endearing Finn, making it easy for viewers love a character that they might, in all other circumstances, hate (for instance when she remarks that she only likes Ringo Starr because no one else does).’

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The audience ultimately sides with Hansen since the film is from his point of view, but realizes Finn isn’t a terrible person. With a bow in her hair and a love of The Smiths, Finn charms her way into viewers’ hearts, and in the end, it’s clear she was right all along.

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The role of Hansen is the perfect way for Gordon-Levitt to make his way back into the world of Hollywood. Known best for his role on ‘3rd Rock From the Sun,’ he is the embodiment of the modern romantic hero.’

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Viewers instantly love him because everyone wants someone to feel the same way about them as Hansen does for Finn. He may not have the best abdominal muscles or the prettiest eyes, but Gordon-Levitt is the whole package.’

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With his ankle-length, skinny jeans and sweater vests, Hansen is so adorably pathetic, and Gordon-Levitt plays him so well. This indie film is right up his alley, and his nerdy character paired with Deschanel’s alt-damsel will surely pluck the heartstrings of the hipster crowd.

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But if this film looks all too familiar, it’s because it’s been done before ‘- kind of. The cinematographer for the film, Eric Steelberg, also worked on ‘Juno.”

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Those who have seen both may recognize how similar they are. With onscreen sketches and attractive angles, the film’s whole feel is quirky and vintage. And the clock that chronicles the progression of days in their relationship (it’s always a number between 1 and 500) only adds to that experience.

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The soundtrack is curated right from a hipster’s iPod: ‘ A big dose of Regina Spektor, some Bad Kids, a little Feist and some She & Him (the duo of Deschanel and M. Ward). But the soundtrack also makes it feel like the movie is trying too hard, much like Kimya Dawson’s domination of the ‘Juno’ soundtrack. What will audiences remember, the plotline or the music?

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Not everything about ‘(500) Days of Summer’ is perfect. Perhaps 488 days would have been enough. The ending is saccharine and over-produced ‘- the only forced scene in the whole film. And the impromptu dance sequence mid-movie that’s right out of ‘High School Musical,’ complete with cartoon bluebirds, goes on way too long to be ironic.

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But even with its imperfections, ‘(500) Days of Summer’ is a breath of fresh air in a world of tired and predictable romantic comedies.