Definitely, Maybe; romantic comedy film review

POLITICS OF LOVE: Ryan Reynolds as Will Hayes and Isla Fisher as April in a scene from Definitely, Maybe.
Image: Universal Pictures, www.movieweb.com

Definitely Friends, Maybe Lovers by Linh

Definitely, Maybe tells the story of a soon-to-be divorced father, Will Hayes, who has failed in love three times. His inquisitive daughter, Maya, asks how he met and fell in love with her mother. Will tells the story as a puzzle, with the names altered to keep his daughter guessing which of the three ladies is her mother. The film then flashes back sixteen years when Will leaves Wisconsin for New York to work on the Clinton Presidential campaign. He soon finds himself romantically involved with three very different women.

Ryan Reynolds is the well-meaning and amiable character Will Hayes, whose presence as a father and a lover is overshadowed by the females in his life, including his daughter. Reynolds downplays his character as if highlighting the roles of males in aspects of love and romance as passive while the females are the instigators and embracers of change. However, where his character's romantic ways are fallow, there is plenty of energy and enthusiasm in his work as political campaigner and consultant.

Isla Fisher sparkles on the screen as the apolitical April, whose character meets Will at the Democrats' campaign office in New York. April soon becomes Will's confidante and best friend, and they share laughs and personal stories with alcohol and cigarettes. April is one of the stronger and more complex female roles in the film which Fisher tackles deftly and with aplomb.

Rachel Weisz gives a consummate performance as Summer, a journalist for 'New Yorker' magazine, whose gentle and free-spirited exterior hides a tough and ambitious personality. Summer's fling with Will ends in heartbreak and job-loss for him, yet her resilience keeps her on top of her game.

Abigail Breslin shines in the role of Maya, Will's ten year old daughter. Maya may seem precocious at times, but mostly her cuteness factor wins over the audience.

Elizabeth Banks plays Emily, Will's wholesome and pretty college girlfriend who breaks up with him after sleeping with her room mate. Seemingly a minor role, yet Emily's actions have a far greater impact on Will than those of the other women. Banks succeeds in maintaining an air of mystery about Emily which makes the character seem hard to forget.

Definitely, Maybe is charming in its attempt to make the complications of love and relationships intriguing, yet fails to keep the momentum flowing throughout. With a romantic mystery plot combined with affable characters, Definitely, Maybe is slightly better than the usual batch of Valentine's Day film releases.