moviereview - Definitely, Maybe

DEFINITELY, MAYBE

	A soon-to-be-divorced Dad has to explain his love-life when his daughter confronts him with a simple question: why doesn't he love her mother?	score 3	moviereview rates films from 1 (unwatchable) to 5 (unmissable)
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Cast
Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fischer, Rachel Weisz

Director
Adam Brooks

Screenwriter
Adam Brooks

Country
USA

Rating / Running Time
PG / 112 minutes

Australian Release
February 2008

Official Site

The serio-rom-com is given a fresh direction in this crowd-pleaser from writer / director Adam Brooks. It won’t change anyone’s life, it barely changes that of its protagonist, but it’s a sure thing come Valentine’s Day. Oddly, the most endearing of all relationships in Defintely, Maybe is that between failed-in-love William (Reynolds) and his daughter Mya (Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin). Divorce is in the air and Mya is convinced that Will can fix his marriage if only he’d tell her what went wrong. Flashback fifteen years to the first of his true loves.

There’s nothing remarkable about the course of events taken by Brooks (Wimbeldon, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason). Definitely, Maybe quickly finds a comfortable rhythm driven by a number of engaging performances that make the most of a frequently funny script. Ryan Reynolds is assured, his comic timing flawless. Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz as Girlfriend 2 + Girlfriend 3 respectively develop refreshing delineation and present as more than just Girlfriend 2 + Girlfriend 3. An energetic Kevin Kline adds spice while Brooks avoids the current flavour for stylised raunch, or indie naturalism.

Yet as they mystery of Will’s love-life is revealed – he conceals the truth in an elaborate story even though Mya is usually several steps ahead of him – Definitely, Maybe starts to loose steam. The sharp tone that opens the film gives way to easy sentiment, and Brooks wraps things up far too pat. Such is the rom-com, and few fawning over Reynold’s baby-browns, or Fisher’s for that matter, will care. They’ve come for an entertaining lesson in love, not a lesson in life, and won’t be disappointed.

// COLIN FRASER