Definitely, Maybe is a standard issue but very enjoyable warm romantic comedy set in (gasp! Could it be?) New York City.
Ryan Reynolds is a separated thirty-something dad whose daughter, played by Abagail Breslin, wants to hear the story of how her parents got together. Reynolds obliges her, but not before changing the names of the women involved and daring her to guess which one is her mother.
What follows is a charming and romantic story that involves you to the point that you'll start rooting for the woman of your choice.
Now there are two flaws in the logic of the film, one of them alarming, but to give credit where it is due they didn't occur to me until well after the film ended.
First, of the three women one is a professional writer, and one is a transplanted Wisconsinite. These and other details should be enough to identify her mother right off the bat, given that she seems quite close to both her parents. But, maybe the kid isn't half as nosy as my own and she never asked. Eh, could be.
Second and more importantly, depending on who the mother turns out to be the daughter now knows that her Mom was unfaithful, bi-sexual, promiscuous, a Democrat and/or all of the above. I realize what we see may not represent the (hopefully) edited version he tells his daughter, but yikes. For what seems like a good father in the midst of an amicable divorce, that's a heck of an impression to leave on a kid.
But again, during the movie itself Suspension of Disbelief takes over and all is well.
So which one was the Mom? Watch and find out if it was your favorite. I think you'll be surprised.
3.25 out of 4, 80 out of 100
Heaven forfend! He might have married a *gasp* Democrate. lol
ReplyDeleteYou are too much, Dan.
;^) Jan the Gryphon
Most children don't notice their parents and other relatives until puberty or sometimes even later. Case in point:
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 15 one of my cousins noticed (loudly and publicly) that my mother had one blue eye and one brown eye. The aunties all laughed at him for not noticing before when he had seen Mother at least once a year for the previous 12 years of his life. I never told him that I had never noticed Mother's odd eyes, and I had been living in the same house with her for longer than Coz had been alive.
;^) Jan the Gryphon
Good review, especially the inclusion of the afterthought!
ReplyDeleteOh good god Dan...how many parents of kids today are unfaithful? That probably is not too shocking to them unfortunately today. With Girls Gone Wild on the TV like crazy & older sibs maybe in college the "bisexual" isn't even an issue as they don't even deem O-sx even sx today! And the Democrat thing...may not be an issue as much as you think! There are even worse things in the world to find out than any of these. God only knows by the time your kids are teens what will be shocking to them.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the movie when I went to the theater. I like Ryan. He is cute!