You say, “romantic comedy” I say, “boo!” I’m not that type of broad who's into romantic comedies. I’m more of the drama-conspiracy-theory-mystery-type. While watching the new Ryan Reynolds (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Smokin’ Aces) film, I expected to see a few staples of romantic comedies: twenty-something women chasing after men, planning marriages and pregnancies; while male characters remain scared of “commitment,” use humor to cope, and eventually end up at an altar.
If you think the same way I do you will be just as surprised at the new Universal film Definitely, Maybe. Ryan Reynolds plays Will Hayes, a father to Maya (Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine) who, after continuous begging, tells his daughter the story of how her mother and him met. Focusing on three women, April (Isla Fisher, Hot Rod), Sarah (Elizabeth Banks, The 40 Year Old Virgin), and Summer (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardner), Will shares a tame tale of courtship.
It would be a crime not to mention that Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher, Lions for Lambs) as Russell and Nestor Serrano (Empire, 24) as a politician, have consistent screentime throughout. Incorporating a socially conscious twist: Will and Russell working in the 1990s for the Clinton presidential campaign, a character who reads Jane Eyre and works for an international social justice organization, and an aspiring journalist, makes this a story of advocates.
A refreshing twist is the representation of a loving single father attracted to and courting strong, successful (dare I write feminist!) women.
Bottom line?
If you want an amusing trip down 1990 memory lane minus preachy wedding endings, give this film a shot; you won’t be disappointed.