Definitely Maybe review (gua.com.my)

by Max Koh
14 April 2008

Rating:
8/10

Title:
Definitely Maybe

Cast:
Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Kevin Kline, Marc Bonan and Derek Luke

Genre:
Romance, Comedy

Review:
‘Definitely Maybe’ is a witty, intelligent and undeniably charming film that appeals not only to the heart, but to the head as well.

Packed with an emotional depth that is not often seen in romantic flicks, ‘Definitely Maybe’ deals with relationships in a very human and realistic way.

The foibles of relationship are deftly handled and portrayed, thanks to the genius that is Adam Brooks, who wrote and directed the film.

Brooks does away with all the schmaltz and sugarcoating that plague most romantic comedies (the repeated story arc of boy meets girl, boy doesn’t see eye-to-eye with girl, boy eventually falls in love with girl, trouble brews, boy and girl separate but get together in the end) and chooses to shed light on the very complex problems that besiege relationships in the modern era.

You know how relationships fail and falter in real life. How divorces are real and magic is but only the stuff that you see on films. And true love continues to be the Holy Grail that seems to elude many. (Yep, realists continue to scoff at such films)

‘Definitely Maybe’ conveys that love is a working commitment and involves a lot of heartbreaks, disappointments, misadventures, try-outs, fall-outs, make-ups, break-ups and searching. It may sound depressing but ‘Definitely Maybe’ is by no means a depressing film. It just gets you thinking and offers a realistic view on love and life. And yes, as much as the film defies convention in romantic flicks, there is a happy ending after all. One that is more realistic than most.

Quintessentially, ‘Definitely Maybe’ has a story that feels real. No Prince Charming or knight in shining armour. No magic formula. Just a heartfelt and sometimes complex love story.

Ryan Reynolds (in a very much grown-up role and a far cry from his days as Van Wilder in ‘Two Guys And A Girl’) plays a 30-something Manhattan dad Will who is in the midst of a divorce. One night, his 10-year-old daughter Maya (Breslin) asks him about his love life prior to marrying her mom.

With his daughter tucked comfortably in bed, Will begins to unravel the mysteries of adult relationship and how it is a “very complex thing.”

His story brings us back to the 1990s- the age before e-mail, hand phones and TV reality shows. Will was then an aspiring politician fresh out of university in Wisconsin who dreamt of becoming the President of United States of America.

His ticket to glory was working for the Clinton campaign that saw him leaving his university sweetheart Emily (Banks) in Wisconsin for the big city of New York.

As he slowly worked his way up from being the toilet paper guy to being one of the big guns, he met the apolitical but outspoken April (Fisher) who turns out to be his longtime best friend and confidante. Along the way, he also meets the free-spirited and feisty journalist Summer (Weisz).

So what follows is a guessing game as Maya tries to figure out which of these three women turns out to be her mother (Will changed the names of the women). Thanks to the wonderful script, the audiences are left to guess along as well with no obvious enough hints or pointers.

There are seductions, disappointments, unrequited love, and betrayals but at the end- it is all played out very realistically. And you will find yourself rooting for one woman over the others at any point in the film.

Ryan Reynolds seem to have grown up from his Van Wilder days, playing the sensitive and doting father with ease and confidence. Breslin, the cutie-pie in Little Miss Sunshine, shines as the inquisitive and bright Maya. Considering her other role in another recent film, ‘Nim’s Island’, one can surmise that Breslin is going to be one shining child star. Her chemistry with Reynolds comes across as believable and charming.

Isla Fisher is simply likeable and will have you falling in love with her in no time. Equally alluring is Weisz as the sexy and confident Summer.

All in all, ‘Definitely Maybe’ is a film that is not afraid to explore the different quandaries and complexities that exist in relationships. And it is done with an equal dose of heart, wit and tenderness all bundled up in a film that deserved to be seen by more than just the average romantic comedy junkies. There are no ‘maybes’ about that.