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Is All About Love in 'Definitely, Maybe'

By Marcos Bernal-Salas

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Okay, I’ll admit it. I maybe the quintessential cynic, when it comes to romantic comedy I can help but to scoff at the love storylines of either impossible love or boy-meets-girl tragic-end happens type of plots. I was more than skeptical about ‘Definitely, Maybe’ and that was solely based on the premise that is the romantic comedy fresh out for Valentine’s Day.

‘Definitely, Maybe’ is simply a brilliant and heartfelt film. Yes, this cynic has had a change of heart when it comes to love – at least just for this film – and maybe just for this weekend. Surprisingly, director Adam Brooks is able to deliver an unsullied story about love from many different points of view. He is particularly successful at exploring love and adult relationships from the inquiring mind of a 10-year-old girl and her father who is once and for all going to leave his love woes behind.

The story follows Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) a 30-something Manhattan dad in the middle of a divorce who is suddenly questioned about his love life by his bright and loving daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin). Hayes starts off at the beginning – just like a young David Copperfield would – and begins his tale in 1992 as young and ambitious politician working for the presidential Clinton campaign. That in itself makes this a hilarious backdrop for the story because it doesn’t take a lot to remember how it all went on from then. Between Nirvana, political success and downfalls Hayes explores the possibility of love with three different women. And within the jokes and restrained language he develops a gentler version of the story to his daughter who has to guess which of the three women he finally got married to.

Brooks is also a very smart writer when it comes to the characters here. The three different women in Hayes’s might come off as the atypical women at first. There’s the college sweetheart Emily, the longtime friend and confidante April and the free-spirited journalist Summer. Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz played the extraordinary women in Hayes’ life – in the same order as mentioned above – and truly shine in each character not only delivering the perfect dialogue but bringing a real diversity to the film. After all if all women look-alike or behave the same this world will be a very boring one. Clearly Brooks understands them somewhat.

‘Definitely, Maybe’ is a well-crafted romantic comedy where the idea of love – which is already a complicated concept – is presented with a very fresh approach. Ultimately, the easy understanding of a 10-year-old which is that love is not easy or simple comes across in the most endearing story to date. The cast is brilliant and Reynolds as Hayes shows a surprising versatility in the role. On an all this film is a winner in this cynic’s heart. ‘Definitely, Maybe’ is a surprisingly and loving film that will change anyone’s perception about romantic comedies and love.