By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
Theatrical release: February 14, 2008
A romantic comedy that begins with a discussion about sex education and ends with a bit of an unexpected twist, Definitely, Maybe focuses on an engaging father and his 10-year-old daughter.
She is curious about the women her dad loved prior to marrying (and separating from) her mother.
Instead of telling her, “None of your business,” he decides to tell her about them… Sort of.
Will is played by Ryan Reynolds and his precocious daughter Maya is adroitly portrayed by Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Will figures out a way to tell Maya about his most meaningful relationships in a PG manner that also is interactive for her (Or as she describes it, “a love story mystery!”).
Changing a few of their characteristics and disguising their names, Will tells her about three exceptional women and Maya tries to deduce which one became her mom. Was it Emily (Elizabeth Banks), the wholesome Midwestern girl afraid of the big city; Summer (Rachel Weisz), the exotic journalist; or April (Isla Fisher), the rebel with a cause?
Hearing about all these women, Maya asks, “What’s the boy word for slut?”
Spanning 15 years, back to when Will was an idealistic young man with the hopes of one day becoming president of the United States, the film has a nice light touch and deals with father-daughter bonding issues in a unique, if not completely realistic manner.
Reynolds is a genial but bland leading man, but the women–including young Breslin–more than hold their own in this fun film.
