Last year’s Valentine’s Day was all about “Music and Lyrics.” It was a typical romantic comedy in which you could foresee every step as it worked its way to a predictable closure. This year, that’s definitely not the case. “Definitely, Maybe” is the newest and rarest of the romantic comedy genre simply because it invigorates its audience with quirky and clever storytelling. The only problem is whether or not much of it will be lost in translation.
First and foremost, “Definitely, Maybe” is a genuine story. From the moment the film takes the screen, we are captured by Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds). As he is met with divorce papers, we meet him while he contemplates his missteps.
To his 11-year-old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), knowing where it went wrong wasn’t the important story; it was how it all started. Having been deprived of the true story behind how her parents met, Maya begs her father for the bedtime story she has always wanted. As he attempts to give the “PG” version of the story, Will learns it’s not too late to find a happy ending.
Understanding that happy ending might be hard at first. In Will’s tactic to conceal the identity of his daughter’s mother, he changes the names of the three women who mean the most in his life. Now we are presented with three great women. Is she the college sweetheart, the longtime friend or the free-spirited journalist. The great thing about “Definitely Maybe” is that it attentively keeps the viewer involved in all the characters due to the unique blend of honest performances and concealed identities.
“Definitely, Maybe” is a film that is constructed with themes of fairy tales, but is driven by the purpose of finding happiness in the crazy maze we call love. With its lifelike representation of characters and an admirable approach to its story, we see a fresh take on a predictable genre. Most importantly, “Definitely, Maybe” relays its core message by refusing to succumb to the monotony that often occurs in the land of romantic comedies. Maybe this Valentine’s day is finally one we can definitely remember.
