Reviewer's grade: A-
For a season when movie studios typically unload their crummiest fare, "Definitely, Maybe" is a rare gem "? a romantic comedy that delivers the goods for romcom devotees without sacrificing intelligence and poignancy.
Writer-director Adam Brooks, whose scripting credits include "French Kiss" and "Wimbledon," sets up his tale as a quasi-fairy tale that New York public relations consultant Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) tells his 10-year-old daughter (Abigail Breslin) after she insists on hearing about how he met her mother. Will flashbacks to the early Nineties, when he was a wannabe politico who falls under the spell of three very different, but captivating, young women (Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz). Which one does he marry? Will changes the names to keep his daughter guessing, and the entire exercise is a bit dampened since Will reveals his story on the day his divorce becomes final.
But "Definitely, Maybe" is buoyant and ultimately uplifting, a movie that ponders the seemingly random nature of relationships and love. PG-13
"?Phil Bacharach
