(500) Days of Summer

Director Marc Webb and writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber try to undo the romantic comedy with this story that mixes the standard formula with subtle poisons. Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) believes he’s found The One when he meets Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). Unfortunately, everyone who meets Summer Finn believes they’ve found The One, so she’s immune to the charms of love. Nonetheless, in the course of a smartly nonlinear narrative, he throws himself into the futile task of making her believe that her underpants feelings are actually special love feelings. This is no There's Something About Mary, though: It’s a smart and beautifully photographed film that makes the average romantic comedy look neuro-deficient by comparison. Of course, flatworms, jihadis and Sarah Palin supporters make the average romantic comedy look neuro-deficient by comparison, so this is no great feat; still, (500) Days is sly enough to overcome much of the clinging schmaltz and pro-stalker propaganda that permeates its genre.