(500) Days of Summer (12A)

ROMCOMS, bloody romcoms. You wait years for a good one, then none come along at once.

And as for this summer's crop? They've been about 50 per cent as romantic and comedic as, oh, a fat man coughing Wotsits in your face.

You want Sandra Bullock "hilariously" tripping over her high heels, or 100 teeth-gnashing minutes of sexist slapstick from Matthew Mahogany? You got it, sister.

But if you want a thrilling, heart-swelling romance between two well-written characters, that DOESN'T treat its audience like cud-chewing morons?

Ahem. Hollywood will have to get back to you.

SCROLL BELOW FOR EXLUSIVE CLIP

HEART-SWELLING: Well-written romance brings the best out of Joseph and Zooey

Praise the Almighty, then, for (500) Days Of Summer. It's a film that boasts no big stars, or wacky tango music, but it effortlessly knocks all the competition into a cocked hat.

It's sparklingly funny, beautifully heartfelt, wonderfully uplifting and brilliantly performed. In short, it's the best romantic film since . . . well, what exactly? Knocked Up? Love Actually? Truth is, you have to go all the way back to 2001's Amélie to find its equal. And in a way, tarring this film with the romcom brush is a bit unfair.

Because first and foremost, and despite what the trailer might claim, (500) Days Of Summer is a love story. It just so happens that what it says about love is very, very funny indeed.

Unusually, the film starts with the main characters breaking up, on day 488 of their relationship.

Greetings card writer Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, AKA the long-haired kid off Third Rock From The Sun) was utterly convinced his ex-girlfriend Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) was The One.

But now that's all in the past (days 1-487, to be exact). And like every man, there's only one thing he wants to do after splitting with a long term girlfriend - rake over the details like a big old blubbering pansy. Tom believes in true love, but Summer doesn't. He wants a proper relationship, but she can't commit.

He falls in love with Summer from the first moment she sees him (face it lads, if Zooey Deschanel turned up in YOUR office bent over the photocopier one morning, you'd probably do the same). But at the end of it all, he's not sure that Summer ever loved him.

And in short, that's the film. Tom goes over the good times and the bad in his head, remembering their ups, downs and everything in between and trying to work out where it all went wrong.

Although frankly, I'm still trying to work out where it all went right. Because the film was penned by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, whose only other contribution to the world was the bum-awful script for Pink Panther 2.

Genius

But Scott and Mike have hit paydirt with this one. Mainly thanks to their genius idea - and that's not too strong a word - to have the film skip back and forward through time, with the story unfolding like memories of a real-life relationship.

It sounds gimmicky. But it works like a dream. As do the bits where Tom's imagination spills over into real life, Amélie-style.

One of the best scenes shows the same party spooling out on two halves of the screen: One labelled "expectation", the other "reality" (no prizes for guessing which turns out better).

And in another superb bit, Tom struts down the street after his first night of Summer lovin' (had him a blast, by the look of things) and the whole thing evolves into a full-blown, jazz-hand-waggling dance number.

Have you ever been in such a good mood you've physically skipped down the street? Did you shuffle your iPod to a rotten 80s love song that made you grin like an idiot? Was it You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oates?

Yep. It's all in the film, baby. (500) Days Of Summer perfectly captures the highs and lows of romance and the in-between stuff too.

It's a must-see for everyone who's had their heart broken - and those who haven't.

OUT WEDNESDAY

NOTE: There have been a few five-star reviews on these pages of late: Inglourious Basterds, The Hurt Locker, District 9 up top there and now this.

Has Collin gone soft? No. Have four of the best films of the year just been released back-to-back? Yes. Should you go and see the lot?

Considering the abject junk that's coming out over the next few weeks, I'd say ruddy definitely.

Exclusive clip

HERE'S an (exclusive) clip from the brilliant (500) Days Of Summer.

In this scene, Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) hit a cocktail bar - and Summer has to fend off some unwanted attention.

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