Rachael DEFINITELY, MAYBE liked this movie a whole lot
For some movies, the punny headlines just write themselves.
So tonight, a day late for Valentine's day, I went and saw DEFINITELY, MAYBE. In interest of full disclosure, I'm going to confess right away that I love Ryan Reynolds, every slacker, tall, absurdly good looking every man inch of him. I loved him in Van Wilder (one of the closest things I have to a guilty pleasure movie, since I don't really believe in guilty pleasure movies) and on Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place (especially on 2 Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place). I enjoy his film presence. So you could say I was predisposed to like this movie. But as 27 Dresses proved, a likeable male star (or female, since I loved all three actress gracing this movie) does not a good romantic comedy make. And let me make this clear up front: Definitely, Maybe is a GOOD romantic comedy.
To some people (most of the people with whom I take film classes, in fact) "good romantic comedy" is a contradiction in terms, or at least refers to that rare exception from the norm. I am not these people. So when I say that Definitely, Maybe is a good romantic comedy, I mean exactly that: it's a romantic comedy done well, not a redefining look at the entire genre. It isn't by any means a perfect movie, but its positives far outweigh its flaws.
Let's start with the actors. Ryan Reynolds is perfectly cast here. While he's clearly very comfortable in the roll of Will Hayes, dad, male slut, political activist-turned-ad-exec, he's hardly playing his typical type. Will is a sensitive, idealistic guy who is way more stand-up than we normally get from Reynolds. And he's adorable, and sweet, and shockingly believable. Shockingly believable, in fact, is sort of the M.O. of Definitely Maybe. Which brings us to Reynold's female costars.
The conceit of the movie is that Will Hayes is telling the story of How I Met Your Mother to his daughter, played adorably by Abigail Breslin (who, for the record, I seriously disliked in Little Miss Sunshine). The twist on the story is that Will had three serious girls involved in his life, and the one who ends up birthing Abigail is also the one he is divorcing. Will tells the story of the three great loves in his life by mixing up the names and a few facts to keep his daughter guessing which one is Will's soon to be ex-wife. And ostensibly we, the audience, are meant to be kept guessing too, although it's pretty obvious from the trailers where this one was going to go. And that's really okay.
The first woman in Will's life is his college sweetheart, Emily, played by Elizabeth Banks. Then comes (somewhat simultaneously) the next two, Summer (Rachel Weisz) and April (Isla Fisher). And the most amazing thing about these three women is that they are, all three, attractive, intelligent women with flaws and assets and chemistry with Will, and they are all completely different. It's a testament both to the screenplay and to the three immensly talented and very different actresses playing them. Here is a movie that takes the time to get its characters right and the result is that the movie never falls flat on its own device, which by all means it should have.
On paper, this idea (the Dad telling the story to his sad little girl) seems contrived and flat, but on the screen the actors and the surprising depth to the story make it seem like something new and good. It shouldn't work as well as it does. But it's so well written, and so grounded in reality that it really earns it's happy ending. Maybe things don't always work out quite so well in real life; who the hell cares? This was a romantic comedy that came out on Valentine's Day for christ sakes and it damn well better have a happy ending.
I said in the beginning that this wasn't flawless. There are definitely corny moments where the cynic in me started snickering and there's certainly nothing ground breaking or extraordinary in here. Occasionally, the dialogue tends towards the stitled side, and the opening narration was very unneccesary and out of place with the rest of the film (where Will's narration to his daughter about the women comes much more naturally than the beginning, typical bad Hollywood narration). But none of these things take away from the enjoyment of the movie on a whole. It won't turn people who hate romantic comedies, but for those of you like me who truly love them, and who really, really appreciate it when they take their audience seriously and respectfully enough to include good characters and great relationships, this is a damn fine offering this Valentine's Day.
So tonight, a day late for Valentine's day, I went and saw DEFINITELY, MAYBE. In interest of full disclosure, I'm going to confess right away that I love Ryan Reynolds, every slacker, tall, absurdly good looking every man inch of him. I loved him in Van Wilder (one of the closest things I have to a guilty pleasure movie, since I don't really believe in guilty pleasure movies) and on Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place (especially on 2 Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place). I enjoy his film presence. So you could say I was predisposed to like this movie. But as 27 Dresses proved, a likeable male star (or female, since I loved all three actress gracing this movie) does not a good romantic comedy make. And let me make this clear up front: Definitely, Maybe is a GOOD romantic comedy.
To some people (most of the people with whom I take film classes, in fact) "good romantic comedy" is a contradiction in terms, or at least refers to that rare exception from the norm. I am not these people. So when I say that Definitely, Maybe is a good romantic comedy, I mean exactly that: it's a romantic comedy done well, not a redefining look at the entire genre. It isn't by any means a perfect movie, but its positives far outweigh its flaws.
Let's start with the actors. Ryan Reynolds is perfectly cast here. While he's clearly very comfortable in the roll of Will Hayes, dad, male slut, political activist-turned-ad-exec, he's hardly playing his typical type. Will is a sensitive, idealistic guy who is way more stand-up than we normally get from Reynolds. And he's adorable, and sweet, and shockingly believable. Shockingly believable, in fact, is sort of the M.O. of Definitely Maybe. Which brings us to Reynold's female costars.
The conceit of the movie is that Will Hayes is telling the story of How I Met Your Mother to his daughter, played adorably by Abigail Breslin (who, for the record, I seriously disliked in Little Miss Sunshine). The twist on the story is that Will had three serious girls involved in his life, and the one who ends up birthing Abigail is also the one he is divorcing. Will tells the story of the three great loves in his life by mixing up the names and a few facts to keep his daughter guessing which one is Will's soon to be ex-wife. And ostensibly we, the audience, are meant to be kept guessing too, although it's pretty obvious from the trailers where this one was going to go. And that's really okay.
The first woman in Will's life is his college sweetheart, Emily, played by Elizabeth Banks. Then comes (somewhat simultaneously) the next two, Summer (Rachel Weisz) and April (Isla Fisher). And the most amazing thing about these three women is that they are, all three, attractive, intelligent women with flaws and assets and chemistry with Will, and they are all completely different. It's a testament both to the screenplay and to the three immensly talented and very different actresses playing them. Here is a movie that takes the time to get its characters right and the result is that the movie never falls flat on its own device, which by all means it should have.
On paper, this idea (the Dad telling the story to his sad little girl) seems contrived and flat, but on the screen the actors and the surprising depth to the story make it seem like something new and good. It shouldn't work as well as it does. But it's so well written, and so grounded in reality that it really earns it's happy ending. Maybe things don't always work out quite so well in real life; who the hell cares? This was a romantic comedy that came out on Valentine's Day for christ sakes and it damn well better have a happy ending.
I said in the beginning that this wasn't flawless. There are definitely corny moments where the cynic in me started snickering and there's certainly nothing ground breaking or extraordinary in here. Occasionally, the dialogue tends towards the stitled side, and the opening narration was very unneccesary and out of place with the rest of the film (where Will's narration to his daughter about the women comes much more naturally than the beginning, typical bad Hollywood narration). But none of these things take away from the enjoyment of the movie on a whole. It won't turn people who hate romantic comedies, but for those of you like me who truly love them, and who really, really appreciate it when they take their audience seriously and respectfully enough to include good characters and great relationships, this is a damn fine offering this Valentine's Day.