Definitely, Maybe
Friday, 08 Feb 2008 15:54
Definately, Maybe sees the return of the comic Ryan Reynolds
Directed by Adam Brooks, out February 8th in cinemas, starring Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Derek Luke, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, running time 111 mins .
In a nutshell…
Multi-layered mystery romcom
What's it all about?
Ryan Reynolds stars as ad man Will Hayes, embroiled in a saddening divorce and convinced by daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) to cheer himself up by telling her the story of how he fell in love with her mother.
Reluctant to give away too many secrets of his past, Will recounts a version of his romantic entanglements with three markedly different women - played by Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz - changing the names of those involved to prevent Maya guessing which woman her father finally married.
As Maya - and the audience - begin to put together the pieces of Will's puzzling love life, both realise there's still a chance for a happy ending.
Who's in it?
Ryan Reynolds confidently makes the jump from gross-out fare to leading man status here, with a performance as charming as ever, though it remains a mystery how a man so irritatingly handsome can also be so likeable. Few can match his well-honed comic timing and with commendable differences in his portrayal of the relationships with the three loves of his life, it's a performance that should lead to far weightier roles for Reynolds.
As Will's daughter Maya, Abigail Breslin's as wonderful as she was in Little Miss Sunshine, mature and childlike all at once. Unfortunately, the demands of the script mean she serves as someone of a plot device, spurring her dad into revealing more intriguing elements of his romantic history.
Elizabeth Banks' girl-next-door beauty makes her a perfect fit for Will's college sweetheart Emily, while Rachel Weisz has now played so many roles in US movies that her part as wilful political journalist Summer is perfectly accented. Isla Fisher is as much of a firecracker as we've come to expect, while Friday Night Lights' Derek Luke is unfairly underused as Will's best friend Russell.
As an example…
"I had two serious girlfriends... and then some other smattering of other women." - Will
"What's the boy word for 'slut'?" - Maya
"They still haven't come up with one yet." - Will
"To please a woman like you would obviously take a real man… hard to compete with." - Will
"Unless you're the competitive type." - Summer
"I never should have read that diary… it's like Pandora's hot, sexy box." - Will
"You know what I've never done? I've never spent the whole day in bed with a really great guy." - Summer
"And neither have I." - Will
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?
While this Oscar year has proved somewhat of a watershed in allowing a comedy - Juno - the consideration that the much-overlooked genre deserves, Definitely, Maybe is far too genial and family friendly to realise translate to the Academy. Success at the likes of the MTV and People's Choice awards seems far more likely.
What the others say
"Definitely a comedy, maybe a romance - has enough sophistication and surprise to keep even the most hardened curmudgeon smiling to the bittersweet end." - Anton Bitel, Channel 4 Film
"Sweet, funny, simple, entertaining - everything a good romcom should be. Definitely… " - Sam Toy, Empire
So is it any good?
Almost, but there's just something that seems to be lacking. While the 'mystery' aspect of the premise is certainly innovative, such a conceit means that we're forever zapping back and forth between the present day and the highs and lows of Will's romantic life through the 90s.
Of course Reynolds is fantastic, adept at switching between the jokey immaturity of the idealistic politico that begins the film and the world-weary, soon-to-be-divorced father of the precocious Maya.
The 16-year span allows for some enjoyable nostalgia regarding grunge and the Bill Clinton era and it's wholly refreshing to see characters in a mainstream movie discussing smoking without the C-word bringing instantly dredged up.
In sticking to the Working Title formula of comfortable R-rated comedy, there's enough appeal for cynics and romantics alike, and where it not for the veritable wealth of top-notch films flooding the box office as the Oscars approach, it could sweep the Valentine's Day box office.
As it is, there's too many little niggles to allow the film to match the great Working Title romcoms, with the ending remaining resolutely Hollywood, despite the rather surprising darkness that's sometimes spliced into the piece, and sentiment frequently laid on far too generously.
Likeable without ever being wholly absorbing.
6/10
Lewis Bazley
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