Definitely, Maybe Review

My latest Netflix rental was Definitely, Maybe, a romance done in light good humor. This movie has lots of good things going for it, including three (count 'em, three!) attractive leading ladies and a plot that keeps you guessing right up to the end. So often in romances, you know how it's going to end, but that was not the case with Definitely, Maybe.

If you've ever seen The Princess Bride, you have some idea how the story of Definitely, Maybe is told. In this case, the leading man (played by a rather bland Ryan Reynolds) tells his insistent daughter the story of how he and his wife (the daughter's mother) met. The parents have just divorced and the daughter just got a sex-education lesson in school, which is the driving force behind insisting that her father tell the story.

As the story unfolds, Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) leaves his college sweetheart (Emily) in Wisconsin to work for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign in New York City. He's faithful to the girlfriend but clearly notes the available women around him, including April the sexy copier girl. Before Will left Wisconsin, Emily gave him a package to give to Summer, a smart and sultry writing student who is boinking her famous professor. These three women (Emily, April and Summer) fill Ryan's social life over the next few years, but it would spoil the fun to tell you any more about what happens. Let me just say that Will is pretty much a good guy through all of this, and none of the women does anything to Will that she would later regret. It really is just the way life happens sometimes.

The cast of Definitely, Maybe is really attractive, with the exception that Ryan Reynolds could use more personality as Will Hayes. The daughter (Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine) is cute and demanding, as kids are. And the three women are all individuals with different personalities and looks, each beautiful in her own way. As I said, you will not know how this particular romance ends until the movie is over, and that is pleasantly unusual for a romantic film. It reaches the end on a breeze of warm feelings, with the sensation that it's only a little contrived. It also helps that the film was shot in New York City and looks like it.

I enjoyed Definitely, Maybe and recommend it. It's probably more of a chick flick but any guy will find the combination of Rachel Weisz (Summer), Elizabeth Banks (Emily) and Isla Fisher (April) easy on the eyes. There is a bit of rough language and a couple of chaste bedroom scenes, so the film is closer to a PG than PG-13 rating. There is a fair amount of alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking, but any kid over 10 years old should be fine for this pleasing romance.

I recommend Definitely, Maybe.