Definitely, Maybe Review

Posted by Chad Webb on 02.18.2008

This is definitely, maybe the worst title of the year.

Ryan Reynolds: Will Hayes
Abigail Breslin: Maya Hayes
Derek Luke: Russell T. McCormack
Isla Fisher: April
Elizabeth Banks: Emily
Rachel Weisz: Summer Hartley
Liane Balaban: Kelly
Kevin Kline: Hampton Roth
Marc Bonan: Kevin
Adam Ferrara: Gareth
Written/Directed By: Adam Brooks
Release Date: February 14, 2008
Running Time: 112 minutes







Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including some frank dialogue, language and smoking.

On the surface, it seems like the ideal recipe for a cinematic Valentine’s Day treat. Mix a young leading man, three talented female actors, one cute child, and love story, and you have a classic outline for a romantic comedy. The twist in Definitely, Maybe is the mystery angle that disguises who the main character ends up with. While this is certainly a sweet and good natured effort, the unique structure feels like a thin coating on an overdone premise.

Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is a father living in Manhattan, and he is in the midst of a divorce with his wife. His daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin), curious after a sex education class, starts questioning him about how her parents met and fell in love. She has to know every detail, but Will begins the tale by changing the names of all the women he dated. He goes back to 1992 when he was an aspiring politician who moved from Wisconsin to New York City to help the Clinton campaign. Three lovely ladies could be his future wife. It could be his college girlfriend Emily (Elizabeth Banks), whom he leaves back home. He then meets April (Isla Fisher) on the campaign staff. He also has a relationship with Summer (Rachel Weisz), an old friend of Emily’s, and free-spirited hopeful journalist. As Will revisits his memories, Maya is trying to get her Dad to be happy again.

Somewhere there is a place for Ryan Reynolds. I believe a genre exists that he could prosper in, but it is not comedy. Generally, I don’t find him amusing, but he can be convincing and absorbing on screen when he sticks to the basics. Independent dramas would be perfect for him. This latest attempt is romantic comedy, and truthfully, Reynolds is solid. I will not praise his every line here, but he was an acceptable center to the story. His attempt at humor is subtle and not overbearing, and he has a genuine chemistry with Breslin. I enjoyed watching Will Hayes. His encounters and lifestyle are not unlike many males of that age. It was easy to connect with him as an average Joe, and that is why Reynolds suited him.

The fact that Definitely, Maybe anchors on Abigail Breslin and her adorable qualities positioned in overdrive, is a problem. Swallow this if you can. Breslin got lucky in Little Miss Sunshine. That was a part that just happened to be spot-on for her, and it did wonders. She cannot carry the weight of an entire movie, and that was the intention here. She was fine in No Reservations because she was not the focal point of the script. As Maya, she is being used mainly for her preciousness. A little girl that can pout her eyelashes, smile on cue, and give her father relationship advice is not what viewers need. Just play it naturally please.

Elizabeth Banks has the smallest contribution of the three women, and that fits her abilities. She is adequate as Emily, but nothing more. With luck, Kevin Smith will reveal her potential in Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Rachel Weisz made a couple odd choices in Fred Claus and now this, but she is reliably affable and engaging as Summer. Weisz has the most intriguing segments as the journalist who enjoyed a fling with an acclaimed author named Hampton Ross, hilariously portrayed by a gray bearded Kevin Kline. Summer’s effect on Will’s career is substantial, and that resulted in some stimulating scenes that poke fun at the Clintons. Isla Fisher shines as April, the copy girl who has a job on a campaign, yet could care less about politics. Fisher has talent no one has bothered to expose. She was fabulous in The Lookout and Wedding Crashers, and she breathes much of the energy into the horribly titled Definitely, Maybe.

Adam Brooks, who has not directed anything since 2001’s The Invisible Circus, takes an inventive and alluring premise, but fails to deliver a screenplay that instills any profound substance which can extend beyond the hackneyed romance. Due to some sharp, delightful, and sincerely reputable performances from the cast, this exudes hints of It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Fisher and Reynolds are magnetic together. Someone should have had enough sense to pick them up and place them in a better story. The audience wants to know who Will’s wife will be, and who his true love is. The latter question is obvious. Brooks does stick to a simple, snug, and secure layout in terms of atmosphere, but the dialogue is so indisputably sappy and corny. Brooks almost completely ruins the charm with eye rolling one-liners. Don’t believe me? Watch the trailer.

Admittedly, I was expecting to despise this film, but it the bulk of it was rather satisfying. Ultimately, Adam Brooks chose a path that lead straight to a contrived and schmaltzy conclusion which might wrap things up in a nice bow for those who love formulaic happy endings, but it cements Definitely, Maybe as a forgettable movie. This is a recommended rental if there ever was one. Pleasant popcorn escapism that sadly suffers from not fully executing a promising idea.

The 411: I don’t know who constructed the trailer for this movie, but they deserve all the backlash for this debuting at #5. Them, and whoever decided the abominable title. Underneath those two marketing errors is a genuinely enjoyable and tolerable romantic comedy that keeps you guessing until the disappointing ending, and packs some terrific performances from the appealing cast. Wait for DVD on this one though. It will be out of theaters in a jiffy anyway.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]