(500) Days of Summer

Let’s get one thing straight, (500) Days of Summer is, without doubt, a rom-com. Despite declaring at the start that “This is not a love story…” the film does what every film of its genre does: leaves its audience with the unmistaken message that there is a perfect, true love waiting out there (it just might take some searching for). Granted, there are several distinctions which mark the film out from its more mainstream counterparts. Firstly there’s the soundtrack; Belle and Sebastian, The Smiths, even London 90s indie-pop outfit Spearmint (just watch their sales soar) get a mention. There are also various stylistic flourishes (the use of split screen, animated scenes and an elaborate all-singing, all-dancing fantasy sequence) which add a certain charm and visual variation. However, if the film really wanted to be an anti-rom-com, it would have done away with its final scenes and settled for an ending which isn’t quite as tidy.