First of all, I love every square inch of this movie. And if you’ve followed my reviews over the years, then you know that when it comes to romantic comedies, I’m not the easiest guy in the world to please. But (500) Days of Summer isn’t your traditional rom-com, and actually seems to revel in it’s self-described status as “not a love story.” Thoroughly unconventional, wickedly funny and starring two gifted actors, this is that sleeper hit you get every summer that floats just low enough to stay under the radar, but just high enough to keep the few theatres it plays in packed due to word of mouth.

A disjointed narrative is the vehicle through which our story unfurls. It pretty much opens with signs of trouble, a relationship basically coming apart before we even know how it began. Young Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) writes greeting cards and thoroughly believes in love at first sight, a fact reinforced when he meets Summer (Zooey Deschanel), a new secretary working for Tom’s boss (Clark Gregg). Thanks to the convenient ticker, we know that Tom pines for Summer for roughly a month before a staff party at a local karaoke bar finally jump starts any potential for romance between them. Paradoxically though, Summer doesn’t believe in romantic love, so just how are these kids supposed to work it out?

Well, the answer is that they can’t. That’s not a spoiler and the film is rather up front about the fact that what your about to watch for the next 90-some odd minutes is not going to wrap up in a happily ever after. Now that doesn’t diminish your enjoyment of the film and instead creates a kind of romantic whodunit as you wonder where this fairy tale romance went off the rocks, or if it was even a fairy tale to begin with? It almost sounds like the whole thing should be depressing, but it’s not, it’s utterly human and almost completely genuine with its emotion. The script by writing duo Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber is slightly brilliant and completely charming, what’s more surprising is the last script these two wrote was Pink Panther 2. The film also gets its share of zing from music video maker Marc Webb, 500 Days is his first feature.

But the film wouldn’t have worked at all without its two leads. Future Cobra Commander Gordon-Levitt is not some typical sad sack mopey type that I see all over the CW, but his post-break-up meltdown has a hilarious impact on his card-writing career though technically speaking not for his best. Deschanel is wonderfully enchanting, though not in a predictable way; there’s just something about her that engages you automatically. Together you really get their romance, how it starts and how it ends. Crazy I know, but I think that this film, with two different actors, the chemistry just wouldn’t have worked the same. For all intents and purposes, Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel are their characters, or you at least think that they are.

Additionally, the supporting cast is stellar. Geoffrey Arend plays Tom’s cubicle mate and slightly off-kilter good friend McKenzie while Matthew Gray Gubler (Criminal Mind’s stats-filled Dr. Reid) plays the much more stable Paul. Both actors add good back-up in the BFF department, but it’s young Chloe Moretz providing some sound, and very mature for her age relationship advice as Tom’s little sister Rachel that steals the show. Mostly though, the focus is on the tumultuous 500 day affair that’s between two normal people trying to navigate the tricky waters of human interpersonal relationships. But you know, funnier.