Definitely, Maybe (2008)

A political consultant tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter.

Director:

Adam Brooks

Writer:

Adam Brooks

Stars:

Ryan Reynolds, An Nguyen, Abigail Breslin

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Reynolds	...	Will Hayes
An Nguyen	...	Ad Exec
Matthew Mason	...	Headphone Guy
Rick Derby	...	Visitor from Planet Ordon (as Ricky Jay Derby)
Sakina Jaffrey	...	School Mom
Bob Wiltfong	...	School Dad
Ryder Chasin	...	Boy with Book
Fiona Lane	...	Angry Girl
Dana Eskelson	...	Angry Girl's Mom
Blake Benitez	...	School Kid
Paulina Gerzon	...	School Kid
Victoria Goldsmith	...	School Kid
Ashtyn Greenstein	...	School Kid
Ashley Grenier	...	School Kid
Dylan Hartigan	...	School Kid

Storyline

Romantic comedy: Will Hayes, a 30-something Manhattan dad is in the midst of a divorce when his 10 year old daughter, Maya, starts to question him about his life before marriage. Maya wants to know absolutely everything about how her parents met and fell in love. Will's story begins in 1992, as a young, starry-eyed aspiring politician who moves to New York from Wisconsin in order to work on the Clinton campaign. For Maya, Will relives his past as a idealistic young man learning the ins and outs of big city politics, and recounts the history of his romantic relationships with three very different women. On the campaign, Will's best buddy is Russell McCormack. They not only have similar political aspirations, they share the same type of girl problems, too. Will hopelessly attempts a "PG" version of his story for his daughter ad changes the names so Maya has to guess who he finally married. Is her mother Will's college sweetheart, the dependable girl next-door Emily? Is she his longtime ...

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Plot Keywords:

love | college | divorce | girl | wisconsin | 

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Taglines:

Three relationships. Three disasters. One last chance.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including some frank dialogue, language and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [us] Universal Pictures [jp]

Country:

UK USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Definitivamente, quizás

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$11,472,255 (USA) (15 February 2008)

Gross:

$31,973,840 (USA) (4 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rachel Weisz was originally set to play the part of Emily.

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Goofs

When Will prepares to leave Madison, Wisconsin, after the New Year's celebration, there's green and full foliage on the trees. Highly unlikely in January 1992, global warming notwithstanding.

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Quotes

Will Hayes: Summer tells me you're dating a sophomore.
Hampton Roth: No, its two freshman. Which, on a good day, add up to a sophomore, I suppose.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Cigarettes And Coffee"
(1993)
Written by Jerry Butler, Eddie Thomas, and Jay Walker
Performed by Otis Redding
Courtesy of Warner Music (UK) Ltd

User Reviews

Saw an advance screening and actually enjoyed it!

and that's saying a lot since I'm not a "romantic comedy" kind of gal.

The little girl is fabulous. Good casting. She's adorable without being perfect. Kevin Kline was an absolute delight as an unapologetic drunken writer/professor who also happens to be quite full of himself. Rachel Weisz (whom I normally do not care for) was completely (and unexpectedly) charming. Ryan Reynolds was also a good casting choice. Unexpectedly believable as a dad.

The bulk of the movie is him explaining to his daughter, bedtime story style (told entirely in flashbacks) about love and how he met her mother, with her being the proverbial "happy ending". Except ... she seems to be the only one who notices that her Dad really isn't happy at all. Isla Fisher also shines. Watching her character grow from someone who is completely devoid of any direction or purpose into a real woman, complete with self-esteem, was a nice touch.

Loved the relationship stories. It's amazing what you don't see when you are in a relationship, only to come to a realization much later. Anyone who has ever traded a trip on the QEII for a proverbial three hour tour on the S.S. Minnow relationship-wise will totally relate.

The fact that Ryan Reynolds sometimes gets so carried away with the story that he forgets he is talking to a little girl leads to a few (ok, so it's a lot) contrived chuckles along with a couple of genuinely funny moments.

It's not going to win an Oscar or break a box office record, but if you want a completely enjoyable two hour escape ... see this movie.