Definitely, Maybe

It's hard to review Definitely, Maybe without making it sound more complicated than it really is. One of the characters even needs a flow chart to keep track of all the characters in the story, and how they're connected. Let me assure you that not only is the movie easy to follow, it's well worth your time to do so. After such lightweight stinkers as 27 Dresses and Over Her Dead Body, here is a romantic comedy-drama that has a real heart and real characters who actually act like human beings that inhabit this planet. There's not a lot that surprises in Definitely, Maybe, but there is a lot to like.

Known mainly for his roles in immature comedies such as Van Wilder and Waiting..., Ryan Reynolds gets to tackle a mature role as Will Hayes, a soon-to-be divorced dad whose 10-year-old daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) has just reached that age where she is curious about how she came to be. The fact that her school has recently started a sexual education course only heightens her curiosity, and during their weekend time together, Maya asks how her parents came to be together. It's not just curiosity driving the question, as young Maya also seems to hope that perhaps making her father reflect back on the past, he will remember the love he once held for her mother. Will reluctantly agrees to tell the story of the many loves that ultimately led to him getting together with her mother, but he changes the names of the women in the story, creating a sort of "love story mystery", as Maya calls it.

The story flashes back 16 years to January 1992, when Will was an ambitious and idealistic college student in Madison, Wisconsin who leaves his college sweetheart, Emily (Elizabeth Banks), for New York to work for Bill Clinton's initial Presidential campaign. During his time in New York, two other women walk in and out of Will's life. They include young journalist Summer (Rachel Weisz), and free-spirited Clinton campaign co-worker April (Isla Fisher). During the years the film covers, these three women play different roles, including romantic interest and best friend confidant. As the times change, Will's life changes as well, with his political ambitions taking a back seat to trying to find a place in the world where he belongs. The film flashes back and forth from its main plot in the past, to the present, as young Maya listens intently, trying to figure out which of the three women represents her mother.

Writer-director Adam Brooks certainly has some experience with romantic comedies, having contributed to the screenplays to such films as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Wimbledon. His experience shows in Definitely, Maybe, in that he is not only able to tackle multiple storylines and characters in an expert manner, but he does so without sacrificing a single character. This is the rare romantic comedy where we find ourselves interested in all of the main characters, not just the ones we know will get together in the end. Everyone has been written as an intelligent human being with their own personal quirks, ideas, interests, and concerns. They're not contrived pawns existing simply to manipulated by the plot, and we become drawn into the characters and their lives. The movie itself is equally honest. The humor seems to grow out of the conversations these people have, instead of set-up situations or a "wacky best friend" character, and there is a bittersweet and somewhat sad center to the story on the whole. It's quite clear throughout the film that Brooks tried his hardest to identify with the story he was trying to tell and the characters inhabiting it. The end result is that although we may have seen it all before, it seems fresher than it should, thanks to the well-defined characters.

This approach allows the film to contain not a single dull character, or one who seems unnecessary. The three women in Will's life are all written as interesting characters, so although the question of whom Will ends up with in the end does not exactly surprise, we find that we'd be happy if the final answer was any of the women. The movie is also great at humanizing Will, who could have easily come across the wrong way in a less capable script. As we follow him from a hopeful young man fresh out of college, to the somewhat more world weary man he is in the present day, we can identify with him every step of the way. Part of this is due to Ryan Reynolds' performance, which is much more subdued and emotional than audiences are used to seeing, but most of it is due to the fact that the character has been written as someone who is obviously flawed, but likable enough that we want to stick with him. Another aspect of the film that I admired is its usage of time. Through archival television clips and dialogue, the movie accurately recreates the periods of time Will's story covers, without coming across as if it is name dropping or being gimmicky. It serves a purpose to the story itself, and wraps us further into the story, instead of distracting us.

Besides Ryan Reynolds' surprisingly heartfelt lead performance, the film is further aided by his female co-stars, who all grab our attention in different ways. As his initial girlfriend Emily, Elizabeth Banks comes across as being very sweet, held back only by the fact that the movie doesn't spend as much time with her as the other two women. As the career-driven Summer, Rachel Weisz is able to bring about a certain sureness and determination, without losing any feminine charm that allows us to understand why Will would be attracted to her. The real scene-stealer, however, is Isla Fisher. Her April is immediately likable, and becomes a lot more complex as the movie explores her character further. Both Will and her are torn about their feelings for each other over the years, and we are fascinated every step of the way. Credit also has to be given to young Abigail Breslin, who not only holds her own to Reynolds in every scene they share, but is able to create that rare child character who seems realistically inquisitive, without coming across as annoying or phony.

Definitely, Maybe is being released to capitalize on Valentine's Day, but this is a romantic comedy that works even without the holiday tie in. Like last year's similarly winning Valentine's release, Music and Lyrics, it is smarter and funnier than most of the competition. The movie starts out as a pleasant diversion, but as the story and the characters grew, I found myself more involved. Writer-director Adam Brooks seems to realize that people themselves can be pretty funny and dramatic on their own, without the aid of contrived situations. What's surprising is that so few other movies just like Definitely, Maybe seem to realize this.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

0 comments