Definitely, Maybe (Widescreen)

I decided to rent this DVD because I really liked "Love Actually" and wanted to give this a try. I am so glad I did! Told as a story to his daughter, a dad relives his romantic past and what led him to the woman he chose to be his wife. Whimsical and fun, with a touch of angst here and there, it's a great rainy day movie. The soundtrack (early 90's) is wonderful as well. The ending was unexpected. Abigail Breslin and Ryan Reynolds were just perfect in this film.

I really enjoyed this movie. I haven't really seen much of Ryan Reynolds except for when he was in Smoking Aces, but it was nice to see Rachel Weisz. Ryan Reynolds has more than charm I think we will see a whole lot more from this guy, he really did some great acting, and to me this movie is definately more than just a chick flick/date movie.

Romantic Comedy? What is romantic about her parents getting a divorce? The entire movie is centered around a man telling his daughter his dating stories. A bit inappropriate! And how would a 10-year old not have heard some of the story of how her parents met yet? It sounded more like the mother had died, not that the parents were getting a divorce! It would have definitely, well maybe been better if it was a story about a widower finding NEW love. Wish they had had more of Abigail Breslin in the movie. The acting was fine by ALL, it was the plot at fault. You may consider renting this if you are going to spend your time watching it. I definitely wish I would NOT have bought it, maybe the rental fee would have been worth it.

I have to admit that I really like Abigail Breslin as much as the next guy. I think she is very cute, adorable and pretty. And that's probably I felt that way ever since she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Little Miss Sunshine." And that film did not dissapoint. So with that, I wound up watching "Definitely, Maybe," and I enjoyed it.

"Definitely, Maybe" tells the story of a young girl named Maya who only lives with her dad, Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds), a soon-to-be divorced dad. Maya wants to ask Will about how he met her mother with three possible girls played by Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachael Weisz. Also, Will Hayes is one of those guies that supports Bill Clinton.

Will doesn't rattle things off as if it were a make believe Harry Potter world, instead, he just mixes things up as if it were the way it should be. With three possible ladies, Will falls in love with long-time friend Emily (Elizabeth Banks), smart-minded April (Isla Fisher) and tense-passing Summer Hartley (Rachael Weisz).

I have to admit. It's good once you get a romantic comedy coming out. It's not really coming-of-age and you never actually expect it to be. It's more of the mystery, which I find it to be at least a bit more entertaining.

I think the cast looked really well. Abigail Breslin was the best idea for this movie -- unlike AnnaSophia Robb or Dakota Fanning in this movie, because if you had either two girls take Breslin's place, the movie would have been a bit much. Also, if Steve Carrell took Ryan Reynolds place, he would've lost most of his touch in funny humor. But the film was fine the way it is on casting. I'm sure Drew Barrymore would've looked really good for one of the roles, too.

The storyline is very slow and long and the ending does seem to be a bit wasted, but if you look at it with the teen's persepective and maybe from the adult's point of view, you would have known that this would make a great date movie. It's much better than "Fool's Gold" (which I thought was pretty stupid but okay) and "P.S. I Love You" (which looked odd), and it simply works for a date movie.

So is "Definitely, Maybe" a perfect date movie to go see. Definitely, yes, maybe, of course yeah.

Will (Ryan Reynolds) picks his daughter up from school and finds that she, like all of the young children, received a very colorful lesson in sex education. The line of questioning he is subject to lasts until finally the daughter, played by Abigail Breslin, asks Will how he met her mother -- the woman whose name appeared next to his on the divorce papers he signed that same day. The story, which he reluctantly launches into, chronicles not only his move from the midwest to New York City, but also the few seemingly near misses he had with love. (And from here we need to assume that this young girl is mature well beyond her years, otherwise the story becomes a little ridiculous.)

I will admit right away that this movie served two secret purposes for me. Beyond my attempt to be entertained by the overall quality of the film, I was checking up on the movie's two stars. I wanted to see if Ryan Reynolds could leave behind the frat-boy comedic antics and enter a...well, a different role. And I wanted to see if Abigail Breslin was as talented as she was tauted to be after her breakthrough success in the Indie sensation Little Miss Sunshine.

Ryan Reynolds has stepped away from comedy before, with movies like Blade Trinity and Smokin' Aces, but I consider those to be transitions, or even Reynolds's metamorphosis, if you will. Neither movie was a comedy, though neither movie, if I may opine, necessarily took itself very seriously. Definitely, Maybe, though a romantic comedy, is intended for a more serious audience. I think Ryan Reynolds has good comedic timing and I'm glad he was able to bring it to this part. I thought he was successful, not only as a single father, but also as the "hopeless romantic with an indominable spirit."

And if we are able to forgive our young starlett for having a more mature understanding of interpersonal relationships than 98% of the people on the planet, I would like to applaud Ms. Breslin as well. Her ability to ask mature questions while she maintains her childhood innocence is impressive. She warms up to the camera and you feel comfortable giving her your attention until the credits roll. She was both cute and funny as she follows her dad on the journey through his quest for love. Little Miss Sunshine introduced Abigail Breslin, but Definitely, Maybe shows her real talent.

My thanks also to Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher and Kevin Kline for what each of them brought to the film.

I thought the casting and acting were very good; I thought everyone played their part perfectly. Yes, it was a little High Fidelity-esque as it recounted relationships-gone-by, but it was new life in an old mold. It is a romantic comedy that focuses more on the romantic than the comedy, but there are plenty of laughs to be had. So after checking up on Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin I can freely admit that I really enjoyed this movie.