ReelzChannel.com’s 2008 Valentine’s Day pick.
Written and directed by Adam Brooks (French Kiss, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason), Definitely, Maybe is a refreshingly decent romantic comedy about New York advertising exec/former political aide Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds), whose daughter Maya (the always awesome Abigail Breslin) wants to know the ‘real’ story of how his now divorcing parents met and fell in love.
Her questions launch his retelling the tale of the three major women in his life (with fake names of course)—college sweetheart Emily (Elizabeth Banks), free-spirit April (Isla Fisher) and career-woman journalist Summer (Rachel Weisz)—in which she must guess which one turned out to be her mother.
Recounting former experiences never seems like a good engine for a movie, and I will admit that I am not 100% sure why Definitely, Maybe needed to couch the three interwoven love stories in terms of a whodunit from the past, but still somehow it manages to work. Brooks takes full advantage of the ‘90s flashback settings, sprinkling in positively delicious little details—from lovely Clinton-era events (ah, those heady pre-Lewinsky days!) to a slow dial-up connection—that resonate delightfully with Gen Xers like me without distracting from the main action. But more importantly, even though this is a mainstream romantic comedy, the writing isn’t completely dumbed down—a refreshing change from the norm, to say the least.
Not to mention that fact that my love for Breslin continues to grow (No Reservations, Little Miss Sunshine)—she just kicks kiddie-actress butt—as does my crush on the cutely sarcastic Reynolds (Smokin’ Aces, Just Friends).
In short, if you’re looking for a nice romantic comedy for your Valentine’s Day date, look no further—Definitely, Maybe is positively it.
ReelzChannel Rating: 