Definitely Maybe

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

Movie

Definitely, Maybe, 2008

The Plot

A young girl is given a sex education class at school that leads her to question the romance her father and mother once shared. How did they find each other? What caused them to fall in love? And how could two people in love wind up divorcing? And why must her father always tell her that it’s complicated? Unwilling to wait any longer, she gets her father to finally open up about the love he once knew and the love he’s since lost.

Starring

Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Derek Luke, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Kline, and more.

The Review

This is not your typical romance story by a long shot. The boy doesn’t get the girl and the girl doesn’t get the boy—at least not yet. It isn’t even your typical fairytale formula and I like that. I’m a big fan of fairytale endings. I like to see the good guys win and since life is already complicated and messy and happy endings don’t always prevail, I kind of like to see them in my movies—it’s a great escape! But you won’t get that here. What you’ll get is a bit of realism. In fact, there were moments when I thought I just might be watching a documentary play out.

Maya, an 10 year old child, is given a rather explicit sex education course at school and it has left her with a multitude of questions, including how her newly divorced parents could have ever been in love in the first place. In the past, whenever she’d bring up subjects here father didn’t want to deal with he’d say, “It’s complicated” then promise to fill her in on the details, at a later date. But Maya is tired of hearing “it’s complicated” and needs answers, now.

Maybe it’s the fact that he’s just signed his divorce papers, or perhaps it’s his need to undo the damage done during her sex education class (one in which he knew absolutely nothing about) but Will decides to cave. However, instead of simply giving his daughter the fairytale she’d been hoping for, Will decides to give her a story that is, by all accounts, complicated. For you see, Will has not had one true love in his lifetime, but three. And the three have not only left him broken hearted but left him questioning love altogether.

To make the story more interesting, and to get his daughter thinking for herself, Will changes the names of two of the girls—one being Maya’s mother—though he tells her that all three names have been changed. In true mystery fashion, Maya must pay attention to the subtle clues given within the story if she wants to figure out which girl (or woman) is her mother.

But something surprising happens as the story unfolds, Maya’s innocent insight into the relationships helps Will discover why his marriage failed and where true love lies.

Definitely, Maybe was billed as a romantic comedy but I disagree. While there were moments of laughter and it was more light-hearted than necessary, it definitely wasn’t a romantic comedy in my book. As for those moments of laughter, the best lines come from Maya. They alone are worth a second viewing in my book!

Your Task

Watch Definitely, Maybe with your better half, then stop to recount the moment you knew it was love and that the two of you were destined to be together. If, however, your relationship is hurting and you’re wondering if the two of you should even be together, watch this film alone. Then recount your courtship, your firsts, and the moment you said “I do”. Pull out old photos, old mementos, and put together a little care package for your better half. Remind him (or her) of the love you once shared, of the special connection you once had, and then make a commitment to find the time in each week to rekindle those feelings. It’s only too late if you let it be.

Order Definitely, Maybe today!