Vielleicht, vielleicht auch nicht

For some people, the romantic comedy genre is there to be sneered at. It's a lower art form subscribed to by the uneducated masses, the same plot regurgitated through a word processor with names, dates and locations changed: ("Girl meets boy, she's feisty, he's snobbish, they don't see eye to eye - How oh how are they ever going to end up together by the end of the movie?"). Admittedly, I'm not the biggest advocate of the ol' romcom, but this film falls into the "watchable" category of romantic comedy. Of course it's phoney and sugar-coated. Of course it has no resemblance to real life -

For goodness' sake it's a romantic comedy! If it wasn't shallow and improbable it'd be called a "drama"! I don't understand people who post comments on this site, taking potshots at films like this for being dumb and schmaltzy. Look at the poster before you go in. If it's got young people with good teeth on the poster, the title is a bit twee and the font is in pastel shades, chances are, it's a romantic comedy. If you don't like that kind of thing don't go in!

Anyway, my girlfriend took me to see this film yesterday (missed Cloverfield) but it was OK. Seriously. It was OK.

Ryan Reynolds is a solid enough lead, with enough comic talent to keep things ticking over. Abigail Breslin is charming too. Kevin Kline seems to growing gracefully into more senior roles, and Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks and Isla Fisher are all comfortable enough as Reynold's love interests.

The script isn't belly-laugh funny but it has it's moments, there's some good use of news footage from the time in which the story is set, and the plot ticks over nicely. There's also a bit of guessing for the audience too, and my bet is you'll stay to end if only to find out how it finishes.

So there it is: a better than average romantic comedy. Not weighty. Not cerebral. Not challenging. Just a mildly diverting story, about a nice bunch of nice looking people having a nice time and getting their nice little lives sorted out. Nicely.

To give this film the scathing it's had in some quarters, is like a food critic cruelly reviewing a bag of crisps. That is to say this film is not meant to be "food for thought" it's just a snack. And if you get your kicks out of inflating your own ego by raving about how much a dumb film like this offended your sensibilities, then "for shame!" is all I can say. You weren't led blindfolded into the cinema. You knew what you were getting into. It should have been obvious from the poster that this film is a romcom.

Trust me, as a man that's been dragged to more than his fair share of romcoms, this one is by no means bad.

There's not a lot of mystery in romantic comedies, aside from perhaps "who's the baby daddy?" which is coincidentally not too far off from the hook Adam Brooks uses in his film "Definitely, Maybe."

There's a comfort in the romantic comedy formula, in the predictable end of a tried romance. We derive a bit of pleasure as a romance plot drags us along the string of "will they or won't they?" even though we know in our hearts what will happen (because if it doesn't happen, our hearts will be broken and the movie will get bad-mouthed).

"Definitely, Maybe" does as good a job of any rom-com at doing just that. We are sucked into the story with a premise nearly identical to CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," in which young Maya (Abigail Breslin) presses her father, Will, (Ryan Reynolds) into telling the story of how he met her mom. Seeing as the couple is a pair of signatures away from a divorce, he's not thrilled at the prospect of reliving those moments, but for our entertainment, he indulges.

The catch, of course, is that the story involves multiple women, and Maya must guess which one turns out to be her mother. Thus begins a long story that begins in 1992, when young(er) Will sets out for New York City to work on the Clinton campaign and leaves his serious girlfriend, whom he refers to as Emily (Elizabeth Banks), behind.

The '90s American history backdrop definitely gives the film its own flavor. Brooks eventually tries to draw an analogy to the former president, but it's half-hearted. Nonetheless, Brooks uses the opportunity to take an amusing jab at President George W. Bush among other humorous moments of hindsight and it's a welcome aspect of the story.

On the job he meets the copy girl (Isla Fisher), April, one of the mother candidates. She's into rock music and edgier guys, and despite an attraction, things never seem to fall into place for them.

Then there's the woman referred to as Summer (Rachel Weisz), a sophisticated and confident aspiring journalist Will becomes particularly passionate about and eventually starts dating.

So will it be Bachelorette No. 1, 2 or 3? Brooks definitely spent some time crafting this story to constantly bounce back and forth between the women as Will encounters them at multiple points in his life, constantly casting doubt over each one. The three actresses are stellar as well, so it really helps that even if you pick side, you kind of like all the characters for different reasons.

Reynolds holds up well as a romantic lead. He's a rather passive participant in his own love life, which is a bit frustrating but endearing. You genuinely root for his happiness despite fully understanding just why his love life has been so flawed. The impact it has on Maya is also sweet in all its obvious nature. She becomes as engrossed in the story as we do, though with a child-like innocence. Eventually she realizes that love really is as complicated as they say.

The riddle doesn't last nearly as long as it could, but for a romantic comedy it lasts longer than most. At some point the characters have been so fleshed out and certain details put in play that you can start to put the pieces together and figure out exactly how it will end. To Brooks' credit, however, he made what will be seen as a popular choice.

"Definitely, Maybe" hits all over the rom-com spectrum if the left end represents fabrication and tons of cheese and the right is honesty, realism and poignancy. There's a rather cloying scene in which Will and April hang out on April's birthday after her boyfriend ditches her for a gig and the tension is forced and painful, but there are also some extremely normal relationship dynamics at play in Will and Summer's relationship.

The film does the balancing act of fantasy and reality quite well. If all rom-coms were brutally honest, we wouldn't see many of them if any off the indie circuit. "Definitely, Maybe" is pretty much mostly sincere, however, and it's mystery hook — though contrived — is sorta certainly the key to making it all work.

~Steven C

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As usual with romantic comedies, don't believe much of the negative critique you read about this movie. The move is very entertaining, very romantic, and will play on your nostalgic side if you have one. If you're a 20 something that has been in and out of some significant relationships, this will hit close to home, in a positive way. I wouldn't suggest this movie for a first date because it's not quite light-hearted and happy enough. Watch this one on a second or third date OR watch it with someone you've known for a while who you are about to reveal your feelings to. I promise you - it'll set you up nicely...

I was completely astonished the first time I saw the movie, Definitely, Maybe. It truly was, as my summary suggests, absolutely wonderful, and that has mostly to do with the performances by the casts' dedication, though the plot and execution of the entire film was remarkable, as well, and the whole atmosphere and the way the movie folds out is incredible.

It was so touching and completely entertaining from beginning to end, while being humorous and overall fun at the same time. The acting was great, as I have said, and the script was great, because of everyone who worked on the films' professionalism and believability. They did a perfect job on this movie, and I thought they couldn't have done better with what they had to work with.

There was some material I found a bit iffy, and at one point I felt as if I was losing interest, just a little, but this movie is so uplifting that I couldn't manage to look away, and it kept being miraculously beautiful and enchanting that I couldn't help but be so interested. It deserves any positivity it receives, and I hope that many more people will watch it, because it is an excellent movie, that needs to be spread around for it's wonderfulness. Go see it if you haven't!

When his ten-year-old daughter starts asking awkward questions about his impending divorce - and his life before she was born - a thirtysomething Manhattan dad sits her down and tells her the story of his three great loves. He changes the names to keep the surprise of who he eventually married, and he spins a charming story - spanning fifteen years - of loves lost and found and lost again.

And found again.

Ryan Reynolds (one of my all-time favourite performers) has seldom been better, Abigail Breslin (who appears frequently to comment on the story being told) is as genuinely charming as ever, and all three girlfriends are wonderfully cast. The story moves along at brisk pace and it's easy to see why the hero would fall in love with each in turn (at various stages in his life). What's not as easy to see is which one he will eventually marry. And, as well as successfully concealing the identity of the mother, the film makes you wonder many times how it will all end. Yes, it's a romantic comedy, so you're conditioned to expect a happy ending, but this isn't your typical romantic comedy so you're expecting a non-typical ending.

And you're right.

The ending is just as clever as the rest of the movie and it makes for a great story overall. It's a very modern story. I think it would have been called "a sophisticated sex comedy" in bygone days. Which just means the characters are a bit more mature and closer to real life than you normally find in this genre.

What could have been an enjoyable B-grade rom-com is lifted up by unconventional storytelling and a little extra effort spent to get the ending just right. Grade "A" from me.

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