Bien sûr, peut-être

"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).

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!

I heard about this movie almost a year before it came out. I'm a big Ryan Reynolds fan. I wondered if the movie would ever come out and then I heard it was going to be released on V-day. "YES!" I thought "finally". Then the girl I went to see the movie with was five minutes late so that meant that I missed the set up to the movie. But the movie was utterly enjoyable just the same.

I like the idea of mysterious romantic comedy. Where we don't quite know who the mother is. But it is pretty clear who he wants to be with. And you know that's enough. The story was well crafted, the players were phenomenal, and the experience unforgettable. I really enjoyed this movie because, well, it's the guys point of view. All "chick flicks" are from the woman's point of view, it degrades the man in most cases except for "the one" that the girl is meant to be with but he does something to tick her off so therefore all men are scum. In this, yes we address the issue of men are scum, but we move into the unfamiliar territory of men and their emotions. We don't want women to know that we have a side like that but it is there just the same.

Oh! Whoops! I loved the interplay between Ryan and his on-screen daughter. Where he would go off into something that he should be changing and then realizes it is much to late to go back, so he does what any normal parent would do. He lies. He lies his butt off to dig himself out of the hole he is burying himself in.

The end of the movie is good to... but I won't go into that here. See the movie when you can. I think you'll enjoy it.