Review

DEFINITELY, MAYBE 

Released: 2008
Director: Adam Brooks
Starring: Abigail Breslin, some potential moms & Ryan Reynolds

Grade: A

 

I take movie watching very seriously. Probably too seriously. If my friends and I venture to the movie theater or rent a movie, I have strict no talking policy. I won’t even respond if someone asks, “What did he say?” If you missed it, too bad. (This might be why no one wants to watch movies with me). The one time I make an exception to my movie watching policy is when I’m watching a movie on TV. Then pretty much all rules go out the window. Unlike at the movie theater or video store where I spend money on a particular film I really want to see, a movie on TV is just the least objectionable option. Scenes are edited out, commercials awkwardly break-up the film’s rhythm, and those lovely little commercials can add up to an hour to the movie’s run time. It’s easy to channel surf during the commercial breaks, leave to make a snack, or decide now might be a good time to reorganize your DVD collection.

This is how I first started watching Definitely, Maybe on FX yesterday. I actually watched the first five minutes thinking I was about to watch The Proposal, another Ryan Reynold’s rom com. Definitely, Maybe is essentially How I Met Your Mother the movie. About-to-be-divorced dad Will Hayes (Reynolds) agrees to tell his daughter (Abigail Breslin) the story of how he fell in love with her mother. That story involves Will’s three great loves- Emily (Elizabeth Banks), the college sweetheart, April (Isla Fisher), the opinionated friend, and Summer (Rachel Weisz), the free spirited journalist.

I started to watch this movie in the halfhearted way I watch many movies on TV. I heated up last night’s couscous for lunch and I chatted with my roommate about her plans for the day. About halfway through, though, something started to happened. I no longer walked away during the commercials. I closed my computer and turned my full attention to the TV screen. Without even realizing it, I was totally invested in this unassuming little romantic comedy.

Definitely, Maybe is a somewhat treacherous premise for a rom com. It’s got a precocious  child, a Ted Moseby-like leading man, and three female leads, which in the rom com world often equals three over-the-top, irrational women. Definitely, Maybe manages to deftly avoid these pitfalls. Abigail Breslin’s character, Maya, toes the line of being too cheeky, but brings some nice emotional depth to the movie’s final stretch. Reynolds is surprisingly funny in an understated way and has believable chemistry with all four of his leading ladies. There are some limits to his range as an actor, but the direction largely hides these, allowing Reynolds to shine as both a comic and dramatic presence.

It’s pretty common for romantic comedies to give the male protagonist conflicting love interests. What’s not common, though, is to make them all equally likeable. Normally, the women who are doomed for rejection are deeply flawed- too controlling, too overworked or too desperate, and there’s little suspense over who the guy will end up with (hint, hint: the one who’s not crazy.) In Definitely, Maybe, however, each of the female romantic interests has her own strengths and flaws (hmmm, almost like a real woman might) and I was uncertain who Will would end up with. Even better, my guess turned out to be wrong and the film genuinely surprised me.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my various friends fulfill different roles in my life. I feel like I’m a slightly different person around each of them. (Maybe that’s why I’m so neurotic at parties). It’s not that I’m changing my personality, it’s more like each person brings out something different in me. Definitely, Maybe does a good job of depicting how each of Will’s three relationships offer him a different version of himself. With Emily he’s comfortable and romantic, with Summer he’s funny and impulsive, with April he’s opinionated and passionate. Definitely, Maybe doesn’t present one woman as “better” than the others and doesn’t argue that there is only one person for each of us. Instead it depicts love as a journey not just a goal. It’s a cliched message, but the set-up is unique enough to keep the film from feeling stale.

Many rom coms try to cram an entire relationship into a quick whirlwind romance which ends up making all the characters feel shallow and impulsive. The flashback structure of Definitely, Maybe allows the characters’ relationships to build over years rather than weeks. Time itself is almost a character in the film. Emily remarks that change is good so long as both members of a relationship are changing together. April’s theory is that people don’t find “the one” until they reach a certain age and decide it’s time to settle down. The script gives its characters the time they need to test both theories. Growing up doesn’t happen over night and the film’s clever storytelling structure gives the film a realistic timeline while allowing us to skip past the boring parts.

Definitely, Maybe could have been a by-the-numbers rom com, instead it’s a surprisingly adult depiction of growing up, messing up, and figuring out what you really want in life. It has a happy ending, yes, but it also doesn’t shy away from heartbreak, and doesn’t hide the fact that not everyone ends up with a fairytale life. While the tone of the film is firmly optimistic, it’s tinged with just enough realism to keep it grounded. It’s refreshing, in fact, to see a modern day romantic comedy that avoids overblown drama in favor of a more realistic portrayal of love and friendship.

In some ways Definitely, Maybe might be the perfect movie to watch on TV. It’s flashback format gives the film natural breaks, perfect for inserting commercials. And in some ways, those commercials help reinforce the sense of time passing. (The film’s 112 minute runtime was extended to 180 on TV). The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, but has enough mystery to keep a casual viewer invested. And while it’s not exactly a gritty real-life drama, the relationships rang true to life and got me thinking about my own life. Pretty high praise for a star filled rom com. (Compare this with something like the pure-fluff Valentine’s Day).

Perhaps what’s most remarkable is that Definitely, Maybe got me rethinking my strict movie watching rules. I think I can definitely say that taking movies a little less seriously wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe.  

Reality factor: A surprisingly realistic look at how love isn’t as black and white as the movies portray it.  [4 out of 5]

Eye-candy factor: If there’s one thing I like more than romantic Ryan Reynolds, it’s adorable dad Ryan Reynolds.  [4 out of 5]

Aww factor: Ryan Reynolds gets to be four times as charming as he normally is- playing off a demure Elizabeth Banks, a sexy Rachel Weisz, a feisty Isla Fisher and an adorable Abigail Breslin. [4 out of 5]

What did you think of Definitely, Maybe? Mold-breaking romance or clichéd rom com? Let me know in the