No Maybe About It, A Definite Must See

Definitely, Maybe

Release: 02/14/2008
Rated PG-13
1 hour, 45 minutes

FULL PRICE ($$$$)


Advertising exec William Hayes, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds (Just Friends), traverses the busy streets of Manhattan to pick up his daughter, Maya, played by Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Troubled by her parents' impending divorce, Maya suckers Dad into reliving the tale of how he and her mom met. What Maya did not expect was that her dad had two other women in his life around the same time. Settling in to a series of flashbacks, Maya gets a bird's eye view of where Will's affections lie.

Before I break Definitely, Maybe down, I'd like to stress that despite recent readers' opinions, I do not have a vagina...or a man-gina for that matter. I do consider myself in touch with my feminine side, and my inner Oprah is telling me that this is a extraordinarily romantic film. Reynolds, while looking too young to play father to a ten-year-old (especially within the established timeline), eliminates all doubt. He taps into the sarcasm that had me sold on him since episode one of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place while conveying sincere vulnerability to create a character the audience can invest in emotionally.

Abigail "the Dakota Death-Knell" Breslin is spunky, adorable and on par with Reynolds' performance. Elizabeth Banks (Seabiscuit), Rachel Weisz (About a Boy), and Isla Fisher (Hot Rod) portray the three women who share the leading man. Each offers a solid supporting role, but if I had to choose a favorite it'd easily go to Mrs. Cohen.

Writer and director Adam Brooks (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) does an excellent job of pacing the tale of the sordid affairs in the life of Will Hayes. Beginning the flashbacks during the other Clinton's presidential campaign of 1992 gives us thirty-somethings a soundtrack for our generation (remember the other Arrested Development). Brooks maintains the mystery behind which woman is Maya's mother, develops strong romantic bonds between the couples and creates a loving father-daughter relationship. In a genre rife with unconvincing relationships and unbelievable outcomes, Definitely, Maybe presents a more realistic look at love with all its messy complications.

Dirty Undies
Definitely, Maybe is full of some BEAUTIFUL people! I couldn't help but imagine how satsifying a wild orgy with this cast would be. Granted, Weisz would have to get the sloppy thirds, maybe even sloppy fourths if Reynolds participates. Sadly, other than looking yummy enough to inspire said raunchiness, the film is visually chaste, i.e. no bedroom luster, no partially bare bodies, no appeal aside from the actors' smiling faces. The father-daughter candor is a bit cheeky and sexually tinted, but like the film's situations, the dialogue is ultimately tame and inoffensive. The most vulgar thing, which the film repeatedly points out, is William's past indulgences into smoking and drinking.

The Money Shot
To some of you, my masculinity may still be in question. However, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind, male or female, that Definitely, Maybe is the romance to see this year. If I said you'd earn major brownie points for seeing 27 Dresses, you won't believe the relationship cred this will afford you.