http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1022603/

This film is a tale of love that anyone can understand. However as the film says , it is not a love story. It is a story of happiness, depression, and eventual hope for the future. I have had several experiences with a girl I liked who didn't want to get into anything serious, so this film worked for me on that personal level. It does not follow a linear path, the film bounces around between times showing memories of the main character tom's life. This is a very charming film, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Zooey Deschanel are both fantastic leads. She may not be a great actress, but her personality works very well. It is hard for a romance film to stand out these days, they are either too predictable or too quirky. For the most part this is neither, though it does have the occasional scene that tries way too hard to be quirky, such as a really bad dance scene in a park that had the potential to work but just ends up looking out of place and forced. Another scene where the main characters of the film say what they think true love is on a film screen in black and white, which again could have worked but it ends up seemingly like filler. Same with another scene where Tom's feelings manifest themselves on a film screen, it works at first but then it is gets way too long and monotonous. Music also plays a part, but not in a really forced trying too hard to sound hip way, it actually feels like part of the characters. Also this isn't really a complaint, but for a good part of the film I thought they were in New York City rather than Los Angeles. I don't want to spoil anything, but at the end there is a girl who i thought was very poorly cast considering who she is meant to be.

Belle & Sebastian are mentioned, which made me quite happy:) i also loved the scene where Summer and Tom play a game where they have to yell penis in a public place as loud as they can. I actually used to play that with a friend of mine so it was nice seeing I wasn't the only one who thought of it. Another scene I liked was Tom going to a party Summer is having and the screen splits into two, one half showing reality and the other showing his expectations of what will happen. That was quite an emotional scene. I try to ignore hype when it comes to films, I find it can ruin the experience for some people. This film however was not ruined in the slightest. The forced quirky parts may have annoyed me and there are a few visual gimmicks that don't work, but in the end it is a highly entertaining and slightly cliche romance film. Aside from how non linear it is and the two leads, not tons stands out. Not a bad film at all, but not one of my favorites of the year either.

Overall I give it a 8 out of 10.