Most guys get turned off by titles falling into the romantic comedy genre, so instead of referring to Definitely, Maybe as doing such, we’ll use the genre’s British title – "rom-com."
Otherwise, no guy would willingly see this movie and like it. If we title it something else, they’ll see it and love it.
In Definitely, Maybe, Ryan Reynolds (Just Friends, Smokin’ Aces) plays Will, the soon-to-be single father of Maya, played by Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin.
After a mind-blowing sex-ed training in school, Maya becomes inquisitive about how her divorcing parents met. Instead of just giving her a straightforward answer, Will decides to tell Maya about three different love interests that intertwined between 1992 and 1997, one of them being her mom. To not give it away from the get go, Will changes the names of the three women.
The movie is made up of the back-stories that ensue. Since these are filled with some of the most influential moments in Will’s life, you connect with Will as he becomes a vulnerable character through his sharing his most intimate emotions with his daughter. You’ll see him fall in love three times, and get his heart broken three times.
Reynolds’ average Joe character causes you to easily connect and identify with his Will. The three true loves of his life are played by Rachel Weisz (The Mummy), Elizabeth Banks (Scrubs), and Isla Fisher (Hot Rod, Wedding Crashers), and with all three of their characters, you see exactly what it was that made him fall in love with each of them.
Though each one of them break his heart, Definitely, Maybe never gets mean, contentious or negative; it never shows a single one of the women in a negative light.
Definitely, Maybe is an easily likable movie. The only criticism anyone can have on it is that it is too positive. It isn’t your clichéd chick-flick. It works on many levels. You won’t be able to guess what lies in the next chapter of Will’s life. And if it teaches anything, it’s an effective way to show children how to cope with and get through their parents’ divorce.
Definitely, Maybe is not your typical rom-com. It’s actually not a typical movie at all. It’s super positive and upbeat. There’s something in it for everyone except pessimists. If you like movies like About a Boy, then you definitely need to see Definitely, Maybe.
