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Movies / On DVD / Definitely, Maybe
Definitely, Maybe

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Definitely, Maybe (2008)

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Reviews Counted:138

Fresh:99

Rotten:39

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: With a clever script and charismatic leads, Definitely, Maybe is a refreshing entry into the romantic comedy genre.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including some frank dialogue, language and smoking.

Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:08-02-2008

Synopsis: Ryan Reynolds and a bevy of excellent actresses star in this smart and touching romantic comedy about a little girl trying to understand her father's complicated history with women. Will Hayes... Ryan Reynolds and a bevy of excellent actresses star in this smart and touching romantic comedy about a little girl trying to understand her father's complicated history with women. Will Hayes (Reynolds) is in the midst of a divorce, and his 11-year-old daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) wants to understand what went wrong with her parents' relationship. She begs her father to tell her the entire story of how he met her mother. Will begrudgingly agrees, but changes the names of everyone involved, leaving it up to Maya to decipher who in the story is her mother. Thus Will begins his tale, weaving a romantic and amusing maze of missed connections and bad timing with the likes of three beautiful women: Summer (Rachel Weisz), April (Isla Fisher), and Emily (Elizabeth Banks). Will bounces from relationship to relationship, misunderstandings and confusion thwarting him every step of the way. Who will he end up with? Which woman is ultimately right for him? The film keeps Maya and the viewer guessing right until the very end, with a bittersweet but ultimately triumphant surprise twist tying it all together. Reynolds has long outgrown his VAN WILDER days, and does an excellent job of holding his own with the talented Fisher, Weisz, and Banks. The film is certainly a stand-out from the current crop of romantic comedies, in that the women are intelligent, well-drawn characters, and the relationships are painted with a funny, but realistic eye. And blessedly, it doesn't end with the standard blowout wedding that has become the hallmark of such films. DEFINITELY, MAYBE is a smart and sexy take on the complexities of love, and still manages to be kid friendly, while sending a very positive, honest message to children of divorce. [More]

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Derek Luke, Abigail Breslin

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Derek Luke, Abigail Breslin, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Kline

Director: Adam Brooks

Director: Adam Brooks
Screenwriter: Adam Brooks
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Composer: Clint Mansell
Studio: Universal Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Definitely, Maybe

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Sweet, funny, simple, entertaining -- everything a good rom-com should be. Definitely...

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
02/08/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An unusually soulful and appealing romantic comedy.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
02/06/08
Allan Hunter
Allan Hunter
Screen International

Definitely a comedy, maybe a romance -- has enough sophistication and surprise to keep even the most hardened curmudgeon smiling to the bittersweet end.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
02/01/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Enjoyable, emotionally engaging and frequently amusing romcom with a charming central performance from Ryan Reynolds and superb support from Abigail Breslin and the three lead actresses.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
02/07/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

A romantic comedy that manages to be cute without sending viewers barrelling into the bathroom to toss their cookies.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/12/08
Paul Arendt
Paul Arendt
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's sweet natured and brightly played.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Xan Brooks
Xan Brooks
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
02/15/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

This movie has little grasp of how human beings actually behave. And I don’t mean maybe.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
02/13/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

All of the romantic scenes work here, but anytime it switched gears and started focusing on the politics, it lost me.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
07/22/08
Austin Kennedy
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
02/15/08
Brian Marder
Brian Marder
Hollywood.com

When it comes to recent romantic comedies, you could do much worse.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/17/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

It's all been done before, and better. Furthermore, the nearly two full hours it takes to reach its foregone conclusion begins to pry on one's nerves.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
02/13/08
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

If Brooks' attempts to replicate the magic of About a Boy weren't obvious by the end credits, the Badly Drawn Boy song will drive the point home.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
02/11/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

[Reynolds] is -- once again -- better than his material, which relies too heavily on obvious sentimentality and lazy '90s nostalgia.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
02/14/08
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

Maybe you'll enjoy this, but it's definitely no romantic comedy classic.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
02/13/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Definitely, Maybe has a certain bland appeal, provided you don’t mind that there isn’t one detail in the movie that has a faint ring of truth.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
02/14/08
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

A mildly entertaining rom-com with obvious flaws, with nowhere near the out-of-the-candy-box approach to romance it purports to have.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
02/14/08
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

Everything feels derivative and nothing rings true -- it's The Way We Weren't.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment Comment
02/15/08
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal

Releasing a movie on Valentine's Day can mean only one thing and, yes, Definitely, Maybe has it in big fragrant bouquets. Love, heartache and dollops of schmaltz.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
02/14/08
John Anderson
John Anderson
Washington Post
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Definitely, Maybe

August 15, 2008: SpanishTeaching.co.uk: A bittersweet bedtime story about at least three babes who broke a guy's heart during his hard knocks, early adult years, in addition to, well, Bill Clinton. Opens in new window
More...

June 23, 2008: RT on DVD: A Killer Sopranos Set; WALL-E Gets a Friend
You thought the Sex and the City DVD collection was expensive? Start saving up for the ultimate Sopranos box set, coming this fall. Also look for a DVD spin-off from last... More...

June 18, 2008: A bittersweet bedtime story about at least three babes who broke a guy's heart during his hard knocks, early adult years, in addition to, well, Bill Clinton. Opens in new window
More...

March 06, 2008: Joan Cusack, John Goodman to Hear Isla Fisher's Confessions
It hasn't even been a month since Isla Fisher dazzled Ryan Reynolds in the Valentine's dramedy Definitely, Maybe, but she's already at work on her next film -- and she's got... More...

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