Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, February 14, 2008

'Definitely, Maybe' worth a look

An appealing cast led by Ryan Reynolds and a breezy storytelling style make this romantic comedy a winner.

By Robert Horton, Herald Movie Critic

 The very clever opening credits of "Definitely, Maybe" point to the movie's vibe: jaunty, with a dash of style, but with something going on beneath the surface. The apparently cocky fellow we're watching has just been served with divorce papers.

He's Will, played by Ryan Reynolds. Will, a political campaign organizer, goes home to his 10-year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin, from "Little Miss Sunshine"), who wants to know the story of her father's romantic life.

That's the movie we see. And while it's not too credible that Will would tell his daughter everything we see in the film, it's an ingenious way for writer-director Adam Brooks to go about telling his story.

Will's romantic tumbles are linked to three women who weave in and out of his life. One is a saucy co-worker (Isla Fisher, from "Wedding Crashers"), one a college sweetheart (Elizabeth Banks), one a grown-up journalist (Rachel Weisz).

The movie is somewhat unusual in using real-world politics as a backdrop; Will works on the Clinton campaign in 1992, only to become disillusioned during the Lewinsky era. Brooks creates a nice feel for time passing during the decade, and the way people change as years go by.

The three women make an appealing romantic history for our hero, and there's a choice role for Kevin Kline, bearded and goatish, as Weisz's much older mentor-lover. A little bit of Abigail Breslin goes a long way (she's like a smart-mouth kid from a Neil Simon movie, circa 1977), but there's only a little bit of her here.

Tall, beady-eyed Ryan Reynolds, in his first authentic shot at a rounded character, carries the movie. Half smirky and half sincere, Reynolds isn't capable of digging deep yet, but he makes a very likable protagonist.

Adam Brooks directed a good Woody Allenish comedy years ago called "Almost You," which was notable in film history because it starred actress Brooke Adams and was directed by Adam Brooks. What are the chances? He's been working as a screenwriter since then (we will ignore his 2001 film "The Invisible Circus"), but "Definitely, Maybe" marks him as someone with an easy, swinging storytelling approach. We won't even blame him for the Valentine's Day timing of the movie's release.
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