Definitely, Maybe (Widescreen)

Coming across as a breezy cross between Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds (Just Friends) is a likeable enough presence in this 2008 romantic comedy, but he simply lacks enough gravitas to be the compelling core of this story. While he doesn't suffer from the same degree of adolescent smugness plaguing Ashton Kutcher, Reynolds - frankly too young for this role - has one of those pliable personalities that fail to leave an indelible mark on the screen, which is too bad since the role requires someone who can ground the story at the same time he can elevate those around him. Fortunately, director/writer Adam Brooks doesn't leave his leading man high and dry since he cast three solid actresses as his various love interests, as well as the omnipresent Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) as his doting daughter.

The time-flipping plot revolves around a bedtime story that soon-to-be-divorced political consultant Will Hayes tells his ten-year-old daughter Maya. Unaware of her parents' lives before their marriage, Maya wants to hear about their romance with an interest in sparking memories that will hopefully make him change his mind about the divorce. Since two other women play pivotal roles in his past, Will suddenly decides to change the names of all the people in his account, thus leaving Maya to guess which one is her mother. It's a charming gimmick but a gimmick nonetheless, which gives rise to the inevitable flashbacks. Surprisingly, this is where the film exceeds my expectations as it begins with Will leaving behind college sweetheart Emily in Wisconsin to work on Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Brooks smartly draws parallels between the young idealist in Will and the imperfect public hero that Clinton became. In fact, this may be the first rom-com with a protagonist mirroring the emotional compromises felt during the Clinton years.

But make no mistake that this is a rom-com that can't wait to introduce romantic complications. First, there is Emily's friend and former lover Summer, an ambitious journalist already in a relationship with her thesis advisor Hampton Roth, a renowned and quite arrogant author. Her affection, however, comes at a price when it becomes a conflict of interest for Will. Then there's April, an underachieving free-spirit who runs the copier at the campaign office. Timing is the chief problem connecting these two as April shows more interest in friendship initially, while Will is inevitably unavailable whenever they consider connecting. Needless to say, things sort themselves out, but Brooks provides enough plot curves to make it all reasonably enjoyable. Elizabeth Banks - the horned-up bookstore clerk in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and soon to be Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's "W" - has the smallest key role as Emily, but she handles it serviceably. Although she seems to be slumming here, Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) effortlessly brings her confident allure to Summer.

But it's Isla Fisher - the clingy bridesmaid in Wedding Crashers - who walks away with the picture in a smart, sexy and often touching performance as April. Hers is the most developed character of the three women, and she takes full advantage. Breslin is relegated to a plot device as Maya, but she manages to overcome the bratty nature of her character. In a case of petty larceny in a youthful pool, a ham-fisted Kevin Kline steals his few scenes as Roth. The 2008 DVD offers several extras with Brooks and Reynolds offering a sometimes quite amusing commentary track. There are a couple of shorts - a disposable fluff piece called "Creating a Romance" and a much funnier featurette, "The Changing Times of Definitely, Maybe" that discusses fads and trends in the 1990's. There are also a handful of deleted scenes worth watching once to fill in a bit more context for the characters.

I just want to add an enthusiastic YES to all of the positive reviews..
So human, so loving....Wonderful,wise, warm,but flawed wonderful human beings with whom one enjoys spending time ..No one can see this film without being a wiser , more understanding human being for having had the experience...
Proof you don't need explosions, special effects or a bunch of obscenities to be entertaining...

Umm Definitely, Maybe is a nice story, but it's only good for a rent at best not really for a purchase, while it had a cute premise it was almost ruined by the beginning of film where Ryan Reynolds plays the dad goes to pick up his daughter at school only to find they've been teaching sex ed 101 parents upset and kids are at loss, others are reciting sexual information I found that to be distasteful and kids saying the names both sexes lower body parts. I thought it was out of line I don't mind if an adult or teenager does, but kids were to young for that I think. They could've changed the sitituation by the kids learning stuff about math or english or science. But they wanted to get that PG-13 rating so they put that in there, quite irritating. Almost didn't watch the whole film because of that and that fact was it dragged in parts of the story to get the point across, all and all it was ok. but not for purchase i'm glad i only paid three bucks for this on PPV if i would've gone to the theater and paid eight i would've been tick. but i have to say that Ryan Reynolds was good as the dad in this, so was abigail breslin she was cute in this.

Will (Ryan Reynolds) is in the middle of a divorce. His young daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) is becoming interested in romantic things, so he decides to tell her the story about how he met her mother. The catch is that he seriously dated two other women during the years that he dated the woman who later became his wife. He begins to spin the tale of his three love affairs (giving the women different names) and Maya tries to discern which one was to ultimately marry her father. The positives in the movie include a pretty good script, and good performances, especially from the female member of the cast. The story does seem to drag a little in the middle, and the romantic near-misses become frustrating at times, but the story does have a certain charm, and the ending contains a nice little twist.

This was definitely, maybe a good romantic comedy - just fell a little short but was still cute.