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, Rachel Weisz, Abigail Breslin

1 win & 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:

daughter | divorce | new york city | father | storytelling | 

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Taglines:

For Will Hayes, a second look at the past will give him a second chance at the future.

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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:

Official Facebook Universal Pictures [Japan]

Country:

UK France Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Definitely, Maybe

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£698,041 (United Kingdom), 10 February 2008, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,472,255, 17 February 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$31,973,840, 6 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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The deli that Will (Ryan Reynolds) buys his cigarettes is called Two Guys. Reynolds previously starred in the series Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place (1998).

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Goofs

When Will goes to visit Summer, Hampton opens the door with his glasses hanging partly under his chin. He adjusts it correctly and then invites Will in. When they're inside the apartment, Hampton's glasses is crooked and under the chin again.

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Quotes

April: And it felt life changing and - and I realized I had to tell someone. When I realized who that person was, it was so unexpected.
Ring Salesman: [the Ring Salesman enters and presents a ring to Will] Here we are sir.
April: It's like when something is staring at you in the face. And you're too blind to
[April notices the ring]
April: see it. What's that?
Will Hayes: ...I have some news for you too.

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Connections

References Alien³ (1992)

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Soundtracks

Even After All
(1997)
Written by Finley Quaye
Performed by Finley Quaye
Courtesy of Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Limited

User Reviews

Maybe the 'Best romantic comedy since Annie Hall'

"Definitely, Maybe" was marketed with the line "Best romantic comedy since Annie Hall." At first I was appalled because it must be a lie, and how dare they put it in the same sentence as Woody Allen. But as I struggled to find many examples of what could be the best, I relented my negativities towards this film.

It is just your standard romantic comedy but with a few differences to set it apart. Instead of just one, we have three main relationship stories being told. And they set it all to the rise and fall of Bill Clinton's presidency. A fitting and very refreshing political addition.

Ryan Reynolds, as handsome and funny as ever, tells us and his 11 year-old daughter about his three past relationships. They spend way too long building up these relationships because the course they take is pretty obvious from the get-go, but at least he ends up with the right girl.

I view "Definitely, Maybe" as just a collection of some very funny scenes. As Reynolds picks up his daughter after school and she tells him about the sex ed class they just had, it's impossible not to laugh at the confused and crude Abigail Breslin. It may be wrong to have kids saying some of the things they did, but it's hilarious.

The filmmakers seem to view it as more ground-breaking than it really is, but "Definitely, Maybe" is still good and funny and maybe (only maybe) the best romantic comedy since "Annie Hall"(1977).