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Plot Summary:
Will Hayes, a 30-something Manhattan dad is in the midst of
a divorce when his 10 year old daughter, Maya, starts to
question him about his life before marriage. Maya wants to
know absolutely everything about how her parents met and
fell in love. Will's story begins in 1992, as a young,
starry-eyed aspiring politician who moves to New York from
Wisconsin in order to work on the Clinton campaign. For
Maya, Will relives his past as a idealistic young man
learning the ins and outs of big city politics, and recounts
the history of his romantic relationships with three very
different women. On the campaign, Will's best buddy is
Russell McCormack.
They not only have similar political aspirations, they share
the same type of girl problems, too. Will hopelessly
attempts a "PG" version of his story for his daughter ad
changes the names so Maya has to guess who he finally
married. Is her mother Will's college sweetheart, the
dependable girl next-door Emily? Is she his longtime best
friend and confidante, he apolitical April? Or is she the
free-spirited but ambitious journalist? As Maya puts
together the pieces of her dad's romantic puzzle, she begins
to understand that love is not so simple or easy. And as
Will tells her his tale, Maya helps him to understand that
it's definitely never too late to go back...and maybe even
possible to find a happy ending.
Father and daughter. How cute!
The Review:
I wasn’t exactly skipping to the theatre when I headed
out to see the new Ryan Reynolds film, Definitely, Maybe.
The cast was surely a draw. Alongside Reynolds were Abigail
Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher
(The Wedding Crashers), Kevin Kline and Elizabeth Banks (The
40-year Old Virgin). But the trailers of the film which
proposed a story about an inquisitive daughter prodding her
recently separated father for a story as to his relationship
past seemed like a quintessential chick-flick and like any
genre, you need to be a mood for some mush in order to enjoy
it and I was about as ready to invest two hours into a story
about loves long past as I was to have my legs shaved by
Hannibal Lector.
But it was Valentines Day and the female companion on my
arm wanted to be reduced to putty via a sappy vehicle so I
politely agreed to the screening with an alternative motive.
Ryan Reynolds and cast!
The trailers detailed the story in full. Maya (Breslin)
comes home from school after an informative sex-education
class leaves her with multiple questions for daddy Will
(Reynolds).
Will then recounts his relationships of yester years
going back to 1992 and his first love Emily (Banks) through
to his present day situation leaving the historical pieces
of the puzzle in the hands of his young daughter to place in
order in an attempt to figure which of the women (whose
names had all been changed for the purpose of the story)
ended up being her biological mother.
Definitely, Maybe might end up as being the most
comfortable film of the year. Its storytelling and acting
were all top rate and the film itself induced enough smiles
and good feelings to give it a hearty recommendation. In
fact, hours now since we left the theatre and proofed the
review, I can’t think of a bad thing to say about
Definitely, Maybe. Even the good looking Reynolds known more
for his smart ass character Van Wilder than any other piece
of his body of work, gave a terrific performance in one of
his few serious dramatic turns.
Isla Fisher. Mmm... cute girl, horrible name.
Not overshadowed however is the rest of the cast that
have more chemistry than a high-school science class. Isla
Fisher in particular shows us that she is definitely the
real deal and can handle both the comedic and dramatic roles
that she has recently been associated. Like Amy Adams, she
is going to be a power to watch for in forthcoming years. As
the character April, she was given a role that needs to be
sensitive, loopy, confident and mysterious all at the same
time she juggles with just being a hottie. When the film was
over I couldn’t have thought of another single actor that
could have handled the role with the ease she shows so
effortlessly.
(Why on Earth did I sleep with you? Will
you shut the F%&K up!)
Writer/Director Adam Brooks (no relation to Albert or Mel)
works his craft like a warm knife through butter. Not a
veteran of the director’s chair (although he has directed a
handful of films), he hasn’t been behind the camera in seven
years. But his lack of experience surely is not evident in
any frame of Definitely, Maybe. He works the camera through
three love stories like a maestro conducting a symphony with
precision and delicate artistry. By the end of 112 minutes,
you will feel fulfilled as if you were told an engrossing
story over some drinks at a bar and hung on every word. The
ending fits like a comfortable pair of slippers and although
you might not have the film resonate with you a week after
your viewing, you will at least be provided with valued
entertainment for the dollars forked over at the box office.
And in today’s crop of usual recycled fare, that says a lot.
" So you're saying that the penis actually
goes inside the vagina? No, shit?"
Overall Thoughts:
No maybe about it. Definitely, Maybe was definitely a
movie worth the price of the ticket and was one of the best
romantic comedies to come down the since Love Actually.
DVD Special Features and Specs:
• Info is coming soon!
Associated Links:
• DefinitelyMaybeMovie.com
Official site for Definitely, Maybe
Rating System:
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