Okay, so I’m sure that title has probably been used by about 3 million critics the world over, but I couldn’t resist.
The wife and I watched Definitely, Maybe yesterday for our patented Monday Night Date Night. It was a toss-up between that and Jumper, but too many horrible reviews of Anakin’s latest steered us towards the romantic comedy.
I’m a fan of Ryan Reynolds. The guy is just naturally funny even when being serious. It’s a quality that is both rare and valuable.
It’s the same quality that I frequently attribute Will Smith with. You can be both sincere and funny, and Ryan Reynolds is one of those actors.
Definitely, Maybe is a unique twist on the romantic comedy with the premise starting after our hero has already fallen in love and had a kid.
Going through a divorce, his daughter goads him into telling the story of how he and her mom ultimately fell in love and got together.
This leads to a bit of a mystery as we watch the lead meet a number of beautiful girls, all with the potential to be the Mrs. Hero. But which is the mother of his child? And which does he love the most? All of this is part of the mystery.
This movie is refreshing. There are no villains. There are no overly-flawed heroes. It is simply people doing what people do. It captures the complexity of love and relationships in a real, endearing, and sometimes funny way.
It’s not storybook love. It’s real love. Love is complicated and throughout life, one is sure to find more than one love. All of them are valid. All of them are equal. All of them are sincere.
Ryan Reynolds deserves a lot of credit for managing to have believable chemistry with all of his past loves, keeping the viewer from too easily guessing who will win out in the end.
The writing deserves credit for creating believable characters who all have both redeeming and flawed qualities. You can’t hate any of the prospects, because all of them are real. You can see how all of them would fit in his life.
The backdrop of the flashbacks is also hilarious as it takes place in the early 90s as our hero embarks as a supporter on the Clinton campaign. This makes for some really funny humor since we all know the outcome.
The actresses also deserve a nod for being lovable, especially Isla Fischer. The girl who plays the daughter is also pretty endearing and is reminiscent of the child version of Kirsten Dunst — back when she was cute and untainted.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with Definitely, Maybe. It’s as good a romantic comedy as you can find these days.
Verdict: B+