Although nearly 10 years have passed since (500) Days of Summer hit the big screen, the film still stands out for its smart approach to being an anti rom-com.

For those whose memories are a little dusty, let us remind you of the premise. Tom Hansen (Gordon-Levitt) is a hopeless romantic in his 20s, working as a writer in a greetings card company. After spending his adolescence believing his life will only be complete when he meets the elusive ‘one’, he’s bowled over with infatuation when he meets Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel).

Having just started in his office as an assistant, Summer is smart, attractive and funny and the pair quickly hit it off. She is not, however, a hopeless romantic. Or, laboured with the belief that her life will have meaning once she finds someone to spend it with. In fact, Summer is fiercely independent.

And this is where the rom-com narrative jumps right out the window. Instead of falling into the stereotypical trap of - girl meets boy, boy screws girl over, girl is left needy and heartbroken - Summer is the one to do the dumping. Becoming cold and withdrawn, she abruptly ends the relationship while the pair are eating pancakes in a diner, thus cementing her role in some viewers eyes as, well, heartless.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt just exposed the big problem with (500) Days of Summer