500 Days Of Summer

By Emily O'Keeffe

500 Days of Summer DVD cover

What started out life as an indie film in its own right, has now become one of the most successful sleeper hits of its time. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen, best known for playing the lovable but somewhat dorky Cameron from 10 Things I Hate About You, alongside the captivating Zooey Deschanel, playing Summer Finn.

Whilst the film claims not to be a love story, I would have to disagree. It is most definitely a story about love or more precisely, the lack of it. The plot follows the tale of two young lovers, Summer and Tom, that just can’t seem to make it work. From beginning to end, it goes through the ups and many downs of their relationship. The film, in a non linear styling chronicles Tom’s delirious happiness, at which one point includes a song and dance sequence that rivals something from a Disney musical to his crushing depression having lost Summer. Set to a perfectly quaint soundtrack featuring the likes of the classics; The Smiths, to the upcoming Temper Trap and Regina Spektor, the film is unpredictable in its ending not conforming to typical mainstream films that it could have easily become, but sets itself apart with its quirky humour and thanks to Summers habits of not letting things get too heavy, neither does the film and so is the perfect choice for the hopeless romantic.