Romantic comedies often focus on the chemistry between adults, but rarely do they focus on the chemistry between an adult and a child. Such chemistry shines in "Definitely, Maybe," which sees Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin playing one of the most charming father/daughter duos of recent memory. They just work well, and this is despite the fact that they're not given much screen time together. I say this because most of the film takes place before her character was born, recalling the events that led to the Reynolds character meeting her mother. This idea is heartwarming, if a little contrived; then again, I don't think a romantic comedy could even exist without being contrived, seeing as they never represent reality. After suffering through the dreadful "27 Dresses," films like "Definitely, Maybe" prove that such films can still be entertaining.

It all begins when soon-to-be-divorced Will Hayes (Reynolds) picks up his daughter, Maya (Breslin) from her school, which is swarming with parents outraged over the day's display of sex education. Maya challenges Will with a series of embarrassing questions, and on their return home, she wants him to tell her the story of how he and her mother met. He initially refuses, mostly because his is a very complicated story; he had not one but three serious girlfriends, and all of them had important parts to play. Will eventually decides to tell Maya the story, but only on the condition that he's allowed to change the names of the girlfriends. Maya actually likes this, because it will give her the chance to guess which woman became her mother.

Thus begins the story proper, which begins in Wisconsin in 1992. Will is a college student who dreams of becoming a politician, and he wants to follow this dream by moving to New York and joining Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign. This doesn't mesh with the plans of his college sweetheart, whose name has been changed to Emily (Elizabeth Banks). Emily says she's worried that New York will change Will into something he's not; Will seems to understand that she's really scared of him succeeding and being too good for her, and because of that, he promises that their love will remain. Things obviously take a complicated turn when he arrives in New York, which for him is not only a blizzard of political activity, but also a hotbed of social development.

Here enters a woman named April (Isla Fisher), who doesn't consider herself a Democrat, a Republican, or even an Independent--political affiliations mean nothing to her because it means choosing a side, and choosing a side is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. There's an immediate connection between her and Will, although neither one is ready to admit that it will lead to something more than friendship. This is especially true since Will is ready to propose to Emily, who's finally found time to visit New York. I won't say whether or not he goes through with it, nor will I reveal what Emily says to him; what I will say is that one of Emily's old college friends enters the picture and complicates things further.

This friend is Summer Hartley (Rachel Weisz), a willful young woman aspiring to be journalist. She's introduced to Will through Emily's diary, which she wanted Summer to have as a gift (it describes some pretty naughty stuff, which is probably why Will reads it without permission). Despite the fact that she's sleeping with her thesis director--a pompous writer named Hampton Roth (Kevin Kline)--she quickly charms her way into Will's life, and he seems more than happy let her. At least, he does at first; his co-ownership of a political advertising agency is jeopardized when her published article paints a damning picture of the man he's endorsing as Governor. He quickly begins to rethink his situation, forcing him to wonder if the right woman is out there or if she even exists. Of course, we know right from the start that she does, so it's only a matter of Maya figuring everything out: Is her mother April, Emily, or Summer?

The final third of "Definitely, Maybe" is the weakest part, relying too heavily on the routine material romantic comedies are notorious for. This isn't to say that the film derails; it stays right on track all throughout, and it doesn't lose itself to an overabundance of sappy dialogue or implausible twists of fate. It's not free of them, of course, but at least they're used sparingly and at levels that are tolerable. And there's no denying that the main characters are engaging, especially Maya, who's more open to lines of communication than her father initially is. Watching them, I never once questioned or even analyzed their love for each other--I was immediately taken by it, and I continued to believe it even after the film ended.

These characters alone make this film worthwhile, so much so that we can forgive many of the more formulaic aspects; let's be vague and say that the final sequence is overwhelmingly predictable, a cliché taken from a deep pool of romantic comedy clichés. But I didn't mind this time because the story could actually support such a sequence; this is essentially a father/daughter story, and as such, it's appropriate--maybe even necessary--that the daughter would want the father to find the happiness he's been longing for (which obviously has nothing to do with political aspirations). Despite being flawed and generally harmless, "Definitely, Maybe" is still one of the better romantic comedies. I smiled more often, I laughed longer, and I was touched at a deeper level.

- Chris Pandolfi

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