Anyone who knows me well knows I have a soft spot for certain chick flicks. What can I say, I'm a total sap who is easily drawn into silly emotional cliches. So naturally, when I saw the preview for Definitely, Maybe, I knew I had to see it. I mean, at the very least, I really dig every last person it.
Ryan Reynolds might still be looking for the right movie to showcase his charm (this one isn't it), but the rest of the cast is pretty sweet, and they have really well-drawn characters you get into. Abigail Breslin is so ahead of her age in terms of ability. Her character is written kind of like that Welch's Grape Juice kid in terms of maturity, but she's totally believable.
The plot is that Reynolds' character is getting divorced, and he tells his kid, Breslin, about three women he was interested in, one of which is her mom, but wouldn't say which one. So she, and the audience, have to try to figure out which one it is. Since he's getting divorced, you can rightfully assume he ends up with one of the others, but that's not clear until you figure out which one was the mother.
The three women are played by Elizabeth Banks, who I wanted to right off as just the cute pervert from 40-Year-Old Virgin, but she's cute and charming in everything else, and I have high hopes for whatever Kevin Smith has for her in Zack and Miri Make A Porno.
Rachel Weisz is beautiful and charming as always, though it's weird for her not to have an accent. She's another one that I think needs the right role. The Mummy was kind of shitty, Constantine was kind of shitty, and Fred Claus was a fluff role. This one was much better for her. The rumor is that she'll be in Rodriguez's next Sin City, and that's a powerful place to be.
Isla Fisher, who I only know as the crazy chick in Wedding Crashers, could be huge. I think this is her break-out role. Frankly, she and the kid carry the movie because they're able to express care for others in a way that usually seems not genuine on film. I have high hopes for her.
No talk of the movie would be complete without mentioning that Kevin Kline plays this drunk English professor who bangs his students. He doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he's fabulous.
Overall I liked the movie a lot because, despite the sizable cast, the characters have a lot of depth to them. I realized that this was true in part because of the stories that they tell each other. That's a plot device I see in a lot of movies that I like, but I never really thought much about how it deepens the characters. Clearly it's something I need to consider when writing my own.
And speaking of my own writing, it reminded me a little of my own screenplay, actually. Third Time was about a guy and three women, though they came at different times in his life and were essentially the same person. Where this movie hit home the most was the idea around getting divorced, and getting it right the second time.
Anyway, I dig it. See it. It has been a long time since we've had a chick flick that didn't suck.