Proves the romantic comedy isn't dead in the water (Definitely, Maybe (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Definitely, Maybe (DVD)
Date:	29/07/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast and script

Disadvantages: None

note: also appears in part on The Student Room

I generally look forward to romantic comedies as much as I do a root canal - they're so often dull, disingenuous films that rehash the same old formula over and over again. Definitely Maybe, however, is a little different - it's sensitive, and not as overproduced as most Hollywood romantic comedies. This may be a chick flick, but it's one that has the rare combination of a brain and a heart, as well as solid performances all around.

Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is in the middle of a divorce, whilst his 10-year old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), remains stuck in the middle, and he just sees her twice a week. One day, she asks her father how he and her mother met and married, so in flashback form, he changes the names of the women and tells her a heart warming, tragic, funny about how he met his wife. It's a lot like the formula for the hilarious TV show How I Met Your Mother, in fact.

The three women presented are women he meets through his job as aiding Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in the mid nineties. The first woman is an advisor on Clinton's campaign - Emily (Elizabeth Banks). The second is an aspiring journalist named Summer Hartley (Rachel Weisz), and the third is a copy girl named April (Isla Fisher). Which one will be the mother? It's a strange and unique idea that unfolds in a sort of fairy tale fashion, and whilst it is ultimately a very optimistic tale, it earns this through some impressive storytelling that'll probably soften up some of the most ardent cynics of the genre (such as myself). Performances throughout are solid, and Reynolds proves that he has range beyond his normal comedic output.

Definitely Maybe is arguably one of the best romantic comedies of the last decade due to its complexity, maturity, and strong performances throughout (namely from Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin).

Summary: A winning rom com