Definitely, Maybe (2008) User Reviews

Perfect casting is what makes this movie wonderful

[Dragoneyed363 · 8/10 · 1 July 2008]

I was completely astonished the first time I saw the movie, Definitely, Maybe. It truly was, as my summary suggests, absolutely wonderful, and that has mostly to do with the performances by the casts' dedication, though the plot and execution of the entire film was remarkable, as well, and the whole atmosphere and the way the movie folds out is incredible.

It was so touching and completely entertaining from beginning to end, while being humorous and overall fun at the same time. The acting was great, as I have said, and the script was great, because of everyone who worked on the films' professionalism and believability. They did a perfect job on this movie, and I thought they couldn't have done better with what they had to work with.

There was some material I found a bit iffy, and at one point I felt as if I was losing interest, just a little, but this movie is so uplifting that I couldn't manage to look away, and it kept being miraculously beautiful and enchanting that I couldn't help but be so interested. It deserves any positivity it receives, and I hope that many more people will watch it, because it is an excellent movie, that needs to be spread around for it's wonderfulness. Go see it if you haven't!

Maybe the 'Best romantic comedy since Annie Hall'

[napierslogs · 8/10 · 10 July 2010]

"Definitely, Maybe" was marketed with the line "Best romantic comedy since Annie Hall." At first I was appalled because it must be a lie, and how dare they put it in the same sentence as Woody Allen. But as I struggled to find many examples of what could be the best, I relented my negativities towards this film.

It is just your standard romantic comedy but with a few differences to set it apart. Instead of just one, we have three main relationship stories being told. And they set it all to the rise and fall of Bill Clinton's presidency. A fitting and very refreshing political addition.

Ryan Reynolds, as handsome and funny as ever, tells us and his 11 year-old daughter about his three past relationships. They spend way too long building up these relationships because the course they take is pretty obvious from the get-go, but at least he ends up with the right girl.

I view "Definitely, Maybe" as just a collection of some very funny scenes. As Reynolds picks up his daughter after school and she tells him about the sex ed class they just had, it's impossible not to laugh at the confused and crude Abigail Breslin. It may be wrong to have kids saying some of the things they did, but it's hilarious.

The filmmakers seem to view it as more ground-breaking than it really is, but "Definitely, Maybe" is still good and funny and maybe (only maybe) the best romantic comedy since "Annie Hall"(1977).

Good movie.

[godzillandg · 7/10 · 23 April 2008]

I heard about this movie almost a year before it came out. I'm a big Ryan Reynolds fan. I wondered if the movie would ever come out and then I heard it was going to be released on V-day. "YES!" I thought "finally". Then the girl I went to see the movie with was five minutes late so that meant that I missed the set up to the movie. But the movie was utterly enjoyable just the same.

I like the idea of mysterious romantic comedy. Where we don't quite know who the mother is. But it is pretty clear who he wants to be with. And you know that's enough. The story was well crafted, the players were phenomenal, and the experience unforgettable. I really enjoyed this movie because, well, it's the guys point of view. All "chick flicks" are from the woman's point of view, it degrades the man in most cases except for "the one" that the girl is meant to be with but he does something to tick her off so therefore all men are scum. In this, yes we address the issue of men are scum, but we move into the unfamiliar territory of men and their emotions. We don't want women to know that we have a side like that but it is there just the same.

Oh! Whoops! I loved the interplay between Ryan and his on-screen daughter. Where he would go off into something that he should be changing and then realizes it is much to late to go back, so he does what any normal parent would do. He lies. He lies his butt off to dig himself out of the hole he is burying himself in.

The end of the movie is good to... but I won't go into that here. See the movie when you can. I think you'll enjoy it.

Seen worse. Seen a whole lot worse.

[stephenm-18 · 7/10 · 11 February 2008]

For some people, the romantic comedy genre is there to be sneered at. It's a lower art form subscribed to by the uneducated masses, the same plot regurgitated through a word processor with names, dates and locations changed: ("Girl meets boy, she's feisty, he's snobbish, they don't see eye to eye - How oh how are they ever going to end up together by the end of the movie?"). Admittedly, I'm not the biggest advocate of the ol' romcom, but this film falls into the "watchable" category of romantic comedy. Of course it's phoney and sugar-coated. Of course it has no resemblance to real life -

For goodness' sake it's a romantic comedy! If it wasn't shallow and improbable it'd be called a "drama"! I don't understand people who post comments on this site, taking potshots at films like this for being dumb and schmaltzy. Look at the poster before you go in. If it's got young people with good teeth on the poster, the title is a bit twee and the font is in pastel shades, chances are, it's a romantic comedy. If you don't like that kind of thing don't go in!

Anyway, my girlfriend took me to see this film yesterday (missed Cloverfield) but it was OK. Seriously. It was OK.

Ryan Reynolds is a solid enough lead, with enough comic talent to keep things ticking over. Abigail Breslin is charming too. Kevin Kline seems to growing gracefully into more senior roles, and Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks and Isla Fisher are all comfortable enough as Reynold's love interests.

The script isn't belly-laugh funny but it has it's moments, there's some good use of news footage from the time in which the story is set, and the plot ticks over nicely. There's also a bit of guessing for the audience too, and my bet is you'll stay to end if only to find out how it finishes.

So there it is: a better than average romantic comedy. Not weighty. Not cerebral. Not challenging. Just a mildly diverting story, about a nice bunch of nice looking people having a nice time and getting their nice little lives sorted out. Nicely.

To give this film the scathing it's had in some quarters, is like a food critic cruelly reviewing a bag of crisps. That is to say this film is not meant to be "food for thought" it's just a snack. And if you get your kicks out of inflating your own ego by raving about how much a dumb film like this offended your sensibilities, then "for shame!" is all I can say. You weren't led blindfolded into the cinema. You knew what you were getting into. It should have been obvious from the poster that this film is a romcom.

Trust me, as a man that's been dragged to more than his fair share of romcoms, this one is by no means bad.

Definitely a must see movie

[robertallenandersonjr · 9/10 · 9 April 2008]

I just saw this movie today and I loved it. I was the only teenage guy in the theatre also. The movie had a great message to it about always being happy. The little girl in this movie was also great she brought a lot to this movie, with out her this would not have been a good movie. The acting was good and the direction was especially good as well. I saw this with my dad today and it brought tears to his eyes. So this movie was also a tear jerker. For someone that loves romantic comedy movies I think would love this movie. It was a little slow moving but I kind of expected it to be. After it got near the end of the movie though it really got you thinking and wishing for him to end up with the girl he was meant to be with. It kind of also took little twists which were good as well. Ryan Reynolds did a terrific job in this movie playing a father who is going through a divorce. Then his daughter tries to help him find his true love. This movie was everything I hoped for so I think that you should definitely take someone to see this movie and have a great time.

Saw an advance screening and actually enjoyed it!

[ucanusemy · 7/10 · 18 January 2008]

and that's saying a lot since I'm not a "romantic comedy" kind of gal.

The little girl is fabulous. Good casting. She's adorable without being perfect. Kevin Kline was an absolute delight as an unapologetic drunken writer/professor who also happens to be quite full of himself. Rachel Weisz (whom I normally do not care for) was completely (and unexpectedly) charming. Ryan Reynolds was also a good casting choice. Unexpectedly believable as a dad.

The bulk of the movie is him explaining to his daughter, bedtime story style (told entirely in flashbacks) about love and how he met her mother, with her being the proverbial "happy ending". Except ... she seems to be the only one who notices that her Dad really isn't happy at all. Isla Fisher also shines. Watching her character grow from someone who is completely devoid of any direction or purpose into a real woman, complete with self-esteem, was a nice touch.

Loved the relationship stories. It's amazing what you don't see when you are in a relationship, only to come to a realization much later. Anyone who has ever traded a trip on the QEII for a proverbial three hour tour on the S.S. Minnow relationship-wise will totally relate.

The fact that Ryan Reynolds sometimes gets so carried away with the story that he forgets he is talking to a little girl leads to a few (ok, so it's a lot) contrived chuckles along with a couple of genuinely funny moments.

It's not going to win an Oscar or break a box office record, but if you want a completely enjoyable two hour escape ... see this movie.

Great storytelling makes otherwise ordinary rom-com something special.

[RikerDonegal · 9/10 · 21 March 2008]

When his ten-year-old daughter starts asking awkward questions about his impending divorce - and his life before she was born - a thirtysomething Manhattan dad sits her down and tells her the story of his three great loves. He changes the names to keep the surprise of who he eventually married, and he spins a charming story - spanning fifteen years - of loves lost and found and lost again.

And found again.

Ryan Reynolds (one of my all-time favourite performers) has seldom been better, Abigail Breslin (who appears frequently to comment on the story being told) is as genuinely charming as ever, and all three girlfriends are wonderfully cast. The story moves along at brisk pace and it's easy to see why the hero would fall in love with each in turn (at various stages in his life). What's not as easy to see is which one he will eventually marry. And, as well as successfully concealing the identity of the mother, the film makes you wonder many times how it will all end. Yes, it's a romantic comedy, so you're conditioned to expect a happy ending, but this isn't your typical romantic comedy so you're expecting a non-typical ending.

And you're right.

The ending is just as clever as the rest of the movie and it makes for a great story overall. It's a very modern story. I think it would have been called "a sophisticated sex comedy" in bygone days. Which just means the characters are a bit more mature and closer to real life than you normally find in this genre.

What could have been an enjoyable B-grade rom-com is lifted up by unconventional storytelling and a little extra effort spent to get the ending just right. Grade "A" from me.

http://yetanotherfilmreviewblog.blogspot.com/

The setup might feel cheap, it's an engaging, usually sincere romantic tale

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 7/10 · 28 June 2012]

There's not a lot of mystery in romantic comedies, aside from perhaps "who's the baby daddy?" which is coincidentally not too far off from the hook Adam Brooks uses in his film "Definitely, Maybe."

There's a comfort in the romantic comedy formula, in the predictable end of a tried romance. We derive a bit of pleasure as a romance plot drags us along the string of "will they or won't they?" even though we know in our hearts what will happen (because if it doesn't happen, our hearts will be broken and the movie will get bad-mouthed).

"Definitely, Maybe" does as good a job of any rom-com at doing just that. We are sucked into the story with a premise nearly identical to CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," in which young Maya (Abigail Breslin) presses her father, Will, (Ryan Reynolds) into telling the story of how he met her mom. Seeing as the couple is a pair of signatures away from a divorce, he's not thrilled at the prospect of reliving those moments, but for our entertainment, he indulges.

The catch, of course, is that the story involves multiple women, and Maya must guess which one turns out to be her mother. Thus begins a long story that begins in 1992, when young(er) Will sets out for New York City to work on the Clinton campaign and leaves his serious girlfriend, whom he refers to as Emily (Elizabeth Banks), behind.

The '90s American history backdrop definitely gives the film its own flavor. Brooks eventually tries to draw an analogy to the former president, but it's half-hearted. Nonetheless, Brooks uses the opportunity to take an amusing jab at President George W. Bush among other humorous moments of hindsight and it's a welcome aspect of the story.

On the job he meets the copy girl (Isla Fisher), April, one of the mother candidates. She's into rock music and edgier guys, and despite an attraction, things never seem to fall into place for them.

Then there's the woman referred to as Summer (Rachel Weisz), a sophisticated and confident aspiring journalist Will becomes particularly passionate about and eventually starts dating.

So will it be Bachelorette No. 1, 2 or 3? Brooks definitely spent some time crafting this story to constantly bounce back and forth between the women as Will encounters them at multiple points in his life, constantly casting doubt over each one. The three actresses are stellar as well, so it really helps that even if you pick side, you kind of like all the characters for different reasons.

Reynolds holds up well as a romantic lead. He's a rather passive participant in his own love life, which is a bit frustrating but endearing. You genuinely root for his happiness despite fully understanding just why his love life has been so flawed. The impact it has on Maya is also sweet in all its obvious nature. She becomes as engrossed in the story as we do, though with a child-like innocence. Eventually she realizes that love really is as complicated as they say.

The riddle doesn't last nearly as long as it could, but for a romantic comedy it lasts longer than most. At some point the characters have been so fleshed out and certain details put in play that you can start to put the pieces together and figure out exactly how it will end. To Brooks' credit, however, he made what will be seen as a popular choice.

"Definitely, Maybe" hits all over the rom-com spectrum if the left end represents fabrication and tons of cheese and the right is honesty, realism and poignancy. There's a rather cloying scene in which Will and April hang out on April's birthday after her boyfriend ditches her for a gig and the tension is forced and painful, but there are also some extremely normal relationship dynamics at play in Will and Summer's relationship.

The film does the balancing act of fantasy and reality quite well. If all rom-coms were brutally honest, we wouldn't see many of them if any off the indie circuit. "Definitely, Maybe" is pretty much mostly sincere, however, and it's mystery hook — though contrived — is sorta certainly the key to making it all work.

~Steven C

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A Nutshell Review: Definitely, Maybe

[DICK STEEL · 10/10 · 13 April 2008]

One guy and the four loves of his life. Writer-director Adam Brooks paints a very romantic tale that I could have seen some personal relation to, and reinforces the notion that perhaps timing is everything. You may have met the most perfect person whom you believe to be able to forge a relationship with, but circumstances sometimes will decide otherwise, and when it happens, it's way beyond one's control.

Abigail Breslin burst onto the scene with Little Miss Sunshine, and hasn't been looking back since. Given Dakota Fanning's been past her age for such roles (yeah, they disappear come adolescent and may return once they enter young adulthood), Breslin's now having the world fawn over her performances (next up, Nim's Island), and here she has great chemistry with Ryan Reynolds, even if Reynolds might look a little too young to be playing her dad.

But Definitely, Maybe's not all about Breslin as it serves more of a romantic comedy with Ryan Reynolds taking on the lead man-boy role as the father who has to satisfy the curiosity of his daughter Maya (Breslin), who's given a headstart in life thanks to a rather candidly explicit sexual education lesson. In wanting to find out if she's an accident because of her parent's impending divorce, she gets her dad to recount his love life history in a romance- mystery, changing names in order for her to guess who her mom is.

And so begins a tale which harks back to college days where most of us have their perennial sweetheart, and from there we follow Will Hayes (Reynolds) as he goes to New York to work on the Democrat ticket for Bill Clinton's election. Then on he meets the other 2 lovers April (Isla Fisher), the photocopy girl who bickers and banters with him in office, and Summer (Rachel Weisz), who's into much older men.

It's probably easy for me to connect with the messy love life of Will's as he flits into and out of favour and love with all three women at one point in time or another, what with his long distance relationship not working out with Emily (Elizabeth Banks), having sharing instant connection with April but they're always seeing different partners and being unavailable, and with Summer, it boiled down to professional differences having to take its toil on the relationship, because one's not willing to sacrifice for the other. I thought these were really real issues that would creep in and how well it works out, will again depend on timing and circumstances.

But the mystery portion turned out to be somewhat a letdown as it was abruptly solved, perhaps knowing that the game is up and there's nothing else interesting to hold it down together. That doesn't detract the movie from moving on to the more important last act though, which I found to be immensely moving, well, again based on personal reflection on what could be. The other moment that stood out (I told you this was quite personal) was that bit on the brushing of the hair. I remembered quite clearly I was on the receiving end of something like that too, which took me by pleasant surprise when it happened. It's easy too with Will, as his taking a hiatus from the dating scene to focus on his professional life, resembled my mindset at some stage too.

Anyway, what also made the movie stand out, was its setting in and weaving through the 90s tracing Bill Clinton's rise and fall, a period where I and some of you, grew up in, what with all the pop culture of the time referenced, as well as the music. The soundtrack's peppered with songs that defined the era (Nirvana, anyone?) and having Massive Attack on it, is always a massive boost for me since they're one of my favourite trip-hop bands. A Clint Mansell score on top of it all, makes this movie musically a breeze to sit through.

Definitely, maybe a winner? But of course! It's definitely highly recommended, and goes into my books as a contender for movie of the year since I enjoyed so many moments of it, cheesy goosebumps and all. Oh, and I would surely welcome and get for myself those wireless earphones.

Definitely Watchable

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 28 February 2008]

When I first saw the trailer for Definitely, Maybe, it looked like an alright film that was probably just your average Valentine's Day love fest movie. But I got to see it for free, if the price is right, why not? So I watched it and actually I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Ryan Renolds, I love the guy in comedies, I haven't seen him in drama, so I was a little skeptical, but after seeing Definitely, Maybe, he pulled in a good performance that surprised me. The only thing I have to say I was a little disappointed in was Abigail Breslin, her performance in Little Miss Sunshine was wonderful and heart warming, Definitely, Maybe didn't bring in her best performance, who knows? It could've been the script or director, but she pulls a decent enough performance to where the movie works and puts a different twist on the average romantic comedy.

Will Hayes has it all, a great paying job, a beautiful daughter, Maya, and a nice home, but unfortunately he is getting divorced. Maya comes over and wonders how he and her mom met. Will keeps saying no, but after tons of begging, he finally decides to go ahead and tell her. But he puts a little twist, since he went through a few women before her mom came along, he tells her the whole story, but through three women, Maya has to solve the love story mystery and find out who her mother is.

Definitely, Maybe was different than the average romantic comedy and that's what I liked about it, it seemed also like it was just more real and not what women should have expectations about. It goes through the serious up's and down's of a relationship, the on and off's as well. The cast did a good job of pulling the film together and making the film very decent. I would recommend Definitely, Maybe, it's worth the watch and was a pleasant movie to see.

7/10

A nice romantic movie for the nostalgic viewer

[bcastori-1 · 9/10 · 20 February 2008]

As usual with romantic comedies, don't believe much of the negative critique you read about this movie. The move is very entertaining, very romantic, and will play on your nostalgic side if you have one. If you're a 20 something that has been in and out of some significant relationships, this will hit close to home, in a positive way. I wouldn't suggest this movie for a first date because it's not quite light-hearted and happy enough. Watch this one on a second or third date OR watch it with someone you've known for a while who you are about to reveal your feelings to. I promise you - it'll set you up nicely...

Has its heart in the right place but don't expect much outside of a few good performances.

[capggg · 6/10 · 13 February 2008]

Decent but contrived comedy that has its heart in the right place but depends more on old plot twists than telling a compelling story. The mystery of who's the mom of Abigail Breslin's character is really easy if you're in tune to the laws of romantic comedies and the story of how it happens just does not jell very well at all. It's more a romantic who dun it than a romantic comedy and you get bored after a while with it, especially when you can see the ending already before the actual film ends. But the film has its heart in the right place and it's not hard to like it, especially if you have a few very good performances that are giving the film more than it deserves. Ryan Reynolds does a great job as the hero of the piece and he has great chemistry with Rachel Weisz, who is just flat out fun, sexy and charismatic. Kevin Klein is fun as well as the other man in Weisz's characters life. Too bad for Reynolds though that both Weisz and Klein are not in the film that much because they are the best things about this movie and while they are not on screen, Reynolds basically has to fiend for himself in dealing with less interesting characters and predicament and that's where the film begins to lose its charm. Isla Fisher is adorable and sweet but there is nothing much to her character that we have not seen before and Elisabeth Banks is fine with a character that she manages to give some life to despite the fact of how one dimensional she is.

The film has a warm heart but it takes quite a lot for it to make the viewer forget how contrived it really is and its loses its focus on what it wants to be and that's not a good thing if you want the viewer to stay interested in it.

A divorced parent's fantasy

[[e-mail] · 2/10 · 25 August 2008]

I saw this story as some sort of divorced parent's fantasy. If you could just sit your 9 year old daughter down for a couple hours and explain how "complicated" adult life and relationships are, surely she would understand why you and mommy divorced. This includes telling your daughter about sleeping with other women, boozing, smoking, etc. Of course, your child would suddenly understand and accept that daddy wants to put his penis in another woman other than mommy (note the first 10 minutes of the movie the little girl talks continuously about how a man "thrusts his penis into a woman's vagina", as she has just learned sex ed at school and can't stop talking about it. Funny? Not really). Not only would your daughter understand you, but she would INSIST that you hook back up with that hottie from your younger days and drag you to her house (instead of dreaming that you get back together with mommy so your family is intact).

Yeah, right, dream on. Keep telling yourself that's what your daughter would do. And oh yeah, your little girl also won't have any problems hearing that her mom had a lesbian relationship with another one of your lays from your younger days, and slept with your roommate to boot. Naw...it's all good. She'll understand.

Seriously, pass on this one. It's also heavily pro-Democrat, as the lead character spends the 90's working for Bill Clinton. At least at the end, even this shallow, self-absorbed character is disgusted at Slick Willie's inability to tell the truth, even though his loser friends about brag about how they would vote for him again in a heatbeat.

And that's the ONLY reason I'm rating it a 2. It's the only redeeming message in this mess.

One man, three women. Who to choose?

[sophisticated-psycho · 2 August 2011]

Definitely, maybe is about a divorced man Will Hayes (Ryan Renolds) whose daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), is interested in his life before his marriage and pushes him to tell her about how he and her mother met. He makes a deal with her: he'd tell her all about the 3 affairs he had before his marriage but change the names of the women and she has to guess which one he married… and so begins the story of the roller-coaster that is his love life! I've always liked Ryan Renolds and he does not disappoint. Neither does Abigail Breslin for that matter. Rachael Wiesz falters a bit at times but Isla Fischer and Elizabeth Banks play their roles finely as the three affairs.

It gets really slow at a point which makes you think, "when will it end already?!" but then it twists and you get stuck to it again. Is it a great movie? Well, definitely not Oscar material but worth a watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's a feel-good movie that'll have you feeling good by the time it ends.

A better example of the genre

[clevelander · 7/10 · 15 June 2011]

If you were looking for an evening in (or out) watching a romcom (and don't we all feel that that sometimes), choose this one above some of the more well known and popular examples. It's well-crafted and tries hard to avoid many of the well-known clichés. Plenty of twist and turns: sentimentality, yes, but not laid on with a table-knife rather than a trowel. Admittedly not quite Harry met Sally or Annie Hall, as, though competently acted, the characters are still romcom cyphers. But marvel at the script-writers' solid achievement of entertainment and engagement. Competent production values keep it rolling along to the last second, without padding. If it had just added those witty little touches of human observation that characterise a great movie it might have made it into my "8" rating, reserved for films that have something outstanding.

A Believable Tale with a Big, Big Heart

[nturner · 9/10 · 7 November 2008]

This turned out to be a surprisingly good little romance with touches of humor. I must admit that I wasn't expecting much when I sat down to watch this film, but it turned out to be a total viewing pleasure for me. One of the reasons for my low expectations is that I had just watched Chaos Theory in which Ryan Reynolds plays the role of a family man whose life is turned upside down. In fact both films start the same why in which an older, wiser Ryan tells the story in a series of flashbacks. From there on, they couldn't be farther apart. Whereas Chaos Theory is a mess of hysteric scenes and overacting, Definitely, Maybe is a believable tale with a big, big heart.

The film begins with Will Hayes (Reynolds) contemplating his divorce papers saying to himself that he never expected to be at such a place in his life. Not only is he getting a divorce, he is a successful advertising man - a career path he never intended for himself. The great joy in his current life is the time he gets to spend with his daughter, Maya.

There is a very humorous scene early in the film when Will goes to pick up Maya at school for an overnight visit. It seems the children have been given an introductory sex education lesson and there appears to be chaos and disorder caused by the first realizations of the facts of life. That evening, Maya, who is no slouch in the brains and maturity department, wants to know the story of her parents' romance and marriage. Will decides to tell her the story of the three women in his life that had influenced him the most, but he does not disclose to Maya or the audience which is Maya's mother.

Using this premise, we are treated to a look at the life and romances of an interesting and very likable man. The tale starts with Will leaving his college sweetheart to go to New York City and work for the Clinton campaign in 1990. As the story progresses, we see Will maturing and changing from an idealistic young man to a somewhat wearied and discouraged citizen of the Clinton era. Along the way, he develops relationships with three extraordinary women - one of whom would become his wife and Maya's mother.

I have read several reviews that do not praise Ryan Reynolds for his portrayal of Will, but I disagree. Reynolds is a suitable actor, and this part of Will might have been designed for him. He shows us the wide-eyed innocence of a young man first delving into the mire of politics and is then able to show that same young man matured and much wiser of the world. His performance is very good.

Maya is played by Abigail Breslin who at a tender age is an excellent actress. Maya's character is extremely precocious and asks some very adult questions for her age, but she is still a little girl at heart. Breslin give the viewer a perfect Maya. I wonder if she will continue to be the consummate actress into her adulthood. Hers is definitely a career to follow.

I've stated in previous reviews that I am a sap for tenderhearted movies such as Definitely, Maybe, so I may be biased in giving it five stars, but five stars it is. If you, also, enjoy a film with a heart, give this one a watch.

The Complexities of Love

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 11 December 2021]

There are things I will never tell my kids and this movie has reaffirmed my resolve to never tell them. There are some things my kids need to know and some things they don't; the intricate details of my past love life are among the things they don't need to know about.

Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) was pressured by his daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) to give up the details of his love life. He decided to give it to her in story form with three women playing the main characters and one of them being her mom. He changed the names of the women to keep them all a mystery and Maya had to guess which of the three women was her mother in the story. There was the first love Emily (Elizabeth Banks), the second love Summer (Rachel Weisz), and the third love April (Isla Fisher).

"Definitely, Maybe" is about the complexities of love and the loved ones in our lives. Unlike many romance movies, we don't live happily ever after with our first sweetheart, or even the second, and sometimes loved ones resurface and things are better the second time around. There are tons of scenarios for the lucky few who've found happiness with someone else and "Definitely, Maybe" is exploring one of those scenarios. I'm not a rom-com kinda person, but after watching a very funny rom-com just the other day I thought maybe I was being unfair to the genre. "Definitely, Maybe" hasn't soured me on the genre, but it didn't win me over either.

Sometimes It's a Matter of "When" and Not "Who"

[ThomasDrufke · 9/10 · 22 April 2020]

In a similar vein to La La Land and 500 Days of Summer, Definitely Maybe deals with relationships in a surprising real and touching way. These films have a way of representing love in a way that mostly depends on timing and where you are in your life. I've always loved the idea that sometimes love is more a matter of 'when' then it is about 'who' comes into your life and Definitely Maybe certainly covers that brilliantly. It also serves as an example of how good Ryan Reynolds can be in more dramatic heavy films. This is a must watch.

9.1/10

Were the writers on strike for this production?

[LIND77777-1 · 6/10 · 19 March 2008]

I was very disappointed in this movie, although the acting seems competent.

Do the screenwriters have any concept of how to write a movie? They seem to have taken a mishmash of gimmicks and called it a movie.

Maybe their chief contribution is reversing the usual chick-flick formula, by having the man have the biggest role and be faced with the dilemma of choosing between several attractive mates. But the way the script is written just doesn't work.

The premise is downright confusing and implausible. How can appealing 11-year-old Maya not know the basics about her mother? Has the mom done a "Wakefield" (disappeared and taken on a new identity somewhere else)? No, Maya lives with her five days of the week.

The scriptwriters' approach seems to be to create a series of incidents involving the male lead and the various women, but they don't add up to much of anything. One of the women was the mother, but there is no compelling reason why any of them should be.

Then we finally learn who the mother is. They are in the midst of a divorce, but there is no plausible reason for it. She's a perfectly nice woman and he seems a ditto man.

Maya's reaction to seeing her dad soon afterward meet up with one of the other women is totally unbelievable; now, she's a matchmaker for her dad. A gagging ending.

Finally, the movie doesn't really measure up to TV movie standards. The male lead is handsome, and we're rooting for him, but his lack of expression becomes really boring. But the real blame belongs on the scriptwriters. For this they want an increase in pay? I'm giving it a six, but that feels a little generous.

One of the best rom-coms EVER

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 7 September 2014]

Hollywood and its relentless bias for quantity not quality has made cynics of us all. In the case of this lost gem, it is no coincidence that (as of the date this review is penned) the top rated IMDb critique basically says that the writer was expecting junk ... and yet was pleasantly surprised.

Sterling praise, that.

Folks we need to (sorry for the pun) look at the big picture here. The Romcom is a tried and true Hollywood tradition that goes back to the days of ... oh ... Claudette Colbert and Doris Day.

When it doesn't work, it is usually still entertaining; and when it does work, it is magical. This one is magical.

Forget the cynicism for a moment and you will see the all the components are there: the writing is so sharp it cuts (especially the last scene with the door speaker); the direction is gentle and unobtrusive, and all the actors (ALL!) are excellent and engaging.

Ryan Renolds, if you can look past the career error known as Green Lantern, is a natural romantic lead, engaging and always moving forward, taking the viewer along. Since this is a story about a man looking for Mrs. Right, the female players have to sexy enough to appeal to the male viewer yet still relatable and sympatico for the distaff members of the audience. Again, spot on.

Isla Fisher may possibly have given the performance of her career here because she is required to build a presence in a movie where she is offscreen most of the time. And she pulls it off. Which in turn makes the ending that much more fun.

noncommittal film for the evening with your girlfriend

[ruuuuta · 7/10 · 14 January 2012]

The beginning was a stupid tragedy. A 9 year old girl speaks about things such as penny, vagina, make love and so on.. It wasn't funny at all, it was stupid and even disgusting...

The story about girls was not so bad, quite interesting, with details and we didn't know how it will end. Just that little girl was too intelligent for a girl, she was aware of everything, unbelievable... The girls especially April was perfect, just the man was stupid not to choose her...

A lot of romantics elements, f.e. kisses, time in bed and so on, it is not so bad.

The end was unpredictable, often this type of films ends in other way, the end was good, really good, just one thing.. Let's think realistically.. How can little girl be happy that his father found other woman who is not her mum,I don't believe that, but anyway, the end was not so bad..

All in all, if you have free time or just want noncommittal film for the evening with your girlfriend, you are welcome. But if you want a comedy or very interesting film, don;t choose, it is not a comedy, it is a romantic film without comedy elements.

I Definitely liked this movie, and Maybe you should watch it.

[Etrival · 10/10 · 18 June 2008]

First, allow me to say that the screen father/daughter chemistry of Abigail Breslin and Ryan Reynolds is wonderful. The two deliver Oscar worthy performances in hands-down the best romantic comedy I've seen.

**WARNING! POSSIBILITY OF SPOILERS BELOW!**

I do my best to write my reviews without any spoilers, but if you want to see the movie without a more descriptive plot outline than the back of the DVD case, please, do not read further.

Ryan Reynolds plays William Hayes, an advertising executive and father to Maya Hayes. When Maya first learns about sexual education at school, and asks why one of her classmates is considered an 'accident', William is coerced into telling Maya the story of how he met her mother.

They create sort of a game, in which William changes all the names of the women in his life around the time he met her mother, and Maya gets to play "Guess Who's Your Mom!" Beyond that, I refuse to give spoilers, however, I will say that the love interests of Reynolds are fantastic. Elizabeth Banks is wonderful as Emily, a bright star to add to the cast. Rachel Weisz brings yet another in a long line of brilliant and captivating performances and adds another notch to her proverbial acting belt, as Summer Hartley, and last, but certainly not least, Isla Fischer is captivating in her role as April Hoffman and delivers a tear-inducing performance.

Yes, I admit it freely, this movie was very touching and I shed more than one tear over the heartrending and heartwarming experiences of William's trials and tribulations in finding love and happiness.

This movie is rated a deserved 10/10.

Trailer is better than the movie

[wisewebwoman · 6/10 · 7 March 2008]

***very minor spoilers, there isn't any plot to spoil***

The child in my life and I went to this movie based on the very good trailer we saw. We both really liked Abigail Breslin in the comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" and figured this to be in the same brilliant mode. WRONG.

There are some great turns in the movie - Kevin Kline for one as an egocentric author/professor, Rachel Weisz for another as the woman in love with him and Isla Fisher as terminally eccentric April.

And some really great music, I was thrilled to hear "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone at the beginning.

However, the middle of the movie - and here the 'middle' would be the hour where plot twist and turns should happen - is soggy and empty and flat. An awful yawning chasm of no script and unattractive posturings by the lead, Ryan Reynolds, playing Will, in his endless skirt-chasing schemes. That is when he's not loading what looks like far too much toilet paper into the Clinton Campaign Headquarters washroom, or hustling up tables for a fund-raising event, or stapling stuff.

The father-daughter relationship is quite icky at times and heads into truly unbelievable territory when the daughter supports a relationship that is not the one with her own mother. All she wants, you see, in true Hollow-wood fashion is Daddy's happiness. How truly disturbing: foretelling many, many years on the psychiatrist's couch.

However, in its favour, there is no graphic sex at all. The so-called shock value comes with the child uttering words like penis and thrusting. Ick again.

A nice bit about Jane Eyre, it could have been explored a little bit more.

The child gave it 6 out of 10 and I've left it at that. Mine would be a 4.

Forgettable.

Definitely, Not

[catelijne · 5/10 · 27 August 2008]

This movie is way overrated. My expectations of this movie where high. I work in a dvdshop, and I was really waiting for this movie to come out.. So when I finally got to see it, I was disappointed.. very disappointed.. Just a father who's telling his daughter, with who he dated, and how all of his relations ended.. And in the ending, he finds an ex, who he always loved, and they never forgot each other.. So happy end..

No, I didn't liked this movie, I didn't hate it either.. Just left me with an unsatisfying feeling.. I don't know..

All I know, would I watch this movie again.. Definitely, Not...

I really enjoyed this film !!!

[bradpittsbodyguard · 6 November 2007]

I saw this film yesterday and I have to say I actually enjoyed it. Kudos to Ryan Reynolds for mastering his craft beyond his known comedy side. I loved the whole Democratic "Bill Clinton" thing. A lot of single people can relate to this story and it is truly realistic. This film is nicely structured and it this is a definitely take your girlfriend/boyfriend or significant other to see and this film as it is very refreshing. I was like "Maya" guessing where this was going. I would like to say to the editor please redo the opening credits, it was too long as I was ready to fall asleep and shorten it a bit, please capture your audience!! But overall GO SEE IT !!