DVD Review: Definitely, Maybe

A definite buy for rom-com fans

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Sunday, June 22nd 2008 at 5:12 PM

My B- review of the theatrical release of Definitely, Maybe was perhaps a bit too low, but I certainly didn't suggest you don't go watch it. Based on how good this film actually is, it is shocking it only made $32 million at the box-office. This film received a majority of positive reviews from critics, was released on Valentine's Day and carried an all-star cast of female names including Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks and Abigail Breslin. That's an Oscar winner in Weisz, an Oscar-nominee in Breslin and two overwhelmingly beautiful women in Fisher and Banks and I can only assume the ladies find Ryan Reynolds attractive. So what gives?

My theatrical review discussed how safe I felt this movie was, but I think seeing a movie in a theater as opposed to at home changes your perspective. When you make the effort to go to the theater, "safe" doesn't feel as rewarding as it does when you are at home. When I go to a theater to see a movie I expect my money's worth. Perhaps in its execution, Definitely, Maybe is "safe", but I don't think I gave the concept of this film enough credit.

The film centers on Will (Ryan Reynolds), he is getting a divorce from his wife and it is his day to pick up his daughter Maya (Breslin) from school. A premature sex-ed class tied with her parents' upcoming divorce gets Maya asking questions about how her parents met. Unwilling to give her the story straight, Will twists it into a mystery, changing the names of three women that had a profound effect on who he married and how his life, career and ultimately Maya came to be. I actually thought the reveal of who Maya's mother was between Banks, Weisz and Fisher would ruin repeat viewings, but that belief may in fact be what made me enjoy it as much as I did this time around. [ ... ]