I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but haven’t they already done this type of premise with the television series “How I Met Your Mother”? Moving beyond that the film was a decent romantic comedy compared to the drivel that has been released in that genre lately. It does not take the easy way out nor travel down the often tread road of guy meets girl, guy falls in love, guy does something stupid and has to make it up to the girl in the last half hour of the film.
A large part of what saves the film is Ryan Reynolds. He has not made very many good films, but he usually ends up emerging unscathed as he is so likable. Okay, the smokin’ six pack and dimples do not hurt either. Also anything that the talented Abigail Breslin involves herself in benefits from her endless energy and intelligence.
Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds – Blade: Trinity, Smokin’ Aces) is a father who is going through a divorce and his precocious little daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin – Little Miss Sunshine, No Reservations) wants to know how he met her mother. Beaten down by her questions, agrees to tell her the story of his romantic life, but he is going to change the names of those involved and has to guess who her mother is. A good example of father-daughter bonding, no?
At face value this is a story that could be told in a short amount of time, so to keep us interested in a full-length film takes some maneuvering. The casting director on this film was extremely wise in his choosing of the three actresses to play the three women in life. Rachel Weisz is gorgeous, Isla Fisher is hilarious and Elizabeth Banks is just plain good.
The film is kinda overpowered by a kind of melancholy and looking back on the ‘better’ times of the 90s that sometimes is to the detriment of the film. This sadness about relationships failed makes its attempt to fit into the romantic comedy slot a little bit iffy. The pace of the movie is often times slow, which does not lend itself well to comedy either. On the other hand this is sometimes the strong point of the film. The sadness and regret involved will touch everyone and it is certainly not your typical light romantic comedy.
Special Features:
– Creating a Romance
– The Changing Times of Definitely, Maybe
