Bien sûr, peut-être

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.

http://yetanotherfilmreviewblog.blogspot.com/

"Definitely, Maybe" was marketed with the line "Best romantic comedy since Annie Hall." At first I was appalled because it must be a lie, and how dare they put it in the same sentence as Woody Allen. But as I struggled to find many examples of what could be the best, I relented my negativities towards this film.

It is just your standard romantic comedy but with a few differences to set it apart. Instead of just one, we have three main relationship stories being told. And they set it all to the rise and fall of Bill Clinton's presidency. A fitting and very refreshing political addition.

Ryan Reynolds, as handsome and funny as ever, tells us and his 11 year-old daughter about his three past relationships. They spend way too long building up these relationships because the course they take is pretty obvious from the get-go, but at least he ends up with the right girl.

I view "Definitely, Maybe" as just a collection of some very funny scenes. As Reynolds picks up his daughter after school and she tells him about the sex ed class they just had, it's impossible not to laugh at the confused and crude Abigail Breslin. It may be wrong to have kids saying some of the things they did, but it's hilarious.

The filmmakers seem to view it as more ground-breaking than it really is, but "Definitely, Maybe" is still good and funny and maybe (only maybe) the best romantic comedy since "Annie Hall"(1977).

and that's saying a lot since I'm not a "romantic comedy" kind of gal.

The little girl is fabulous. Good casting. She's adorable without being perfect. Kevin Kline was an absolute delight as an unapologetic drunken writer/professor who also happens to be quite full of himself. Rachel Weisz (whom I normally do not care for) was completely (and unexpectedly) charming. Ryan Reynolds was also a good casting choice. Unexpectedly believable as a dad.

The bulk of the movie is him explaining to his daughter, bedtime story style (told entirely in flashbacks) about love and how he met her mother, with her being the proverbial "happy ending". Except ... she seems to be the only one who notices that her Dad really isn't happy at all. Isla Fisher also shines. Watching her character grow from someone who is completely devoid of any direction or purpose into a real woman, complete with self-esteem, was a nice touch.

Loved the relationship stories. It's amazing what you don't see when you are in a relationship, only to come to a realization much later. Anyone who has ever traded a trip on the QEII for a proverbial three hour tour on the S.S. Minnow relationship-wise will totally relate.

The fact that Ryan Reynolds sometimes gets so carried away with the story that he forgets he is talking to a little girl leads to a few (ok, so it's a lot) contrived chuckles along with a couple of genuinely funny moments.

It's not going to win an Oscar or break a box office record, but if you want a completely enjoyable two hour escape ... see this movie.

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.

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!