Definitely Worthwhile

Some of you were probably expecting to see a review of Tron Legacy here. I wasn't able to get out to it this weekend, though. I plan to try and catch up this week.

Instead, I'm bringing you a review of an entirely different sort of movie: Definitely, Maybe. This is a light-hearted film from a couple years back starring Ryan Reynolds as the father of a precocious young girl played by Abigail Breslin (because after Little Miss Sunshine, that's who you get to play a precocious young girl). He's divorcing, and she wants to hear the story of how he and her mother first met.

But in order to dress up this romantic comedy in a different skin, he decides to present the tale in an unusual way. There were three women in his life at the time, and he's going to changes their names and present the story to his daughter as a "romantic mystery." It's up to her to figure out which of the women is her mother.

It's sort of like How I Met Your Mother, compressed into two hours for those people who for some reason think that the point of How I Met Your Mother is to actually learn how he met the mother.

This narrative device makes the movie different, I suppose, but what really makes it work is that it's just a sweetly written, well acted movie. Playing opposite Ryan Reynolds are Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, and Isla Fisher. There's a unique chemistry between him and all the women. At different points in the film, you find that you could root for any one of them to be the true mother. Flesh things out with some other good acting -- including a small role by Kevin Kline -- and you have a very entertaining cast.

The movie also manages to bring more than simple smiles near the end. After all, remember the premise: the main character is getting divorced. Handled well, this becomes a device by which a few sadder moments are peppered in during the final act.

It's not a tear-jerker, nor a laugh out loud romp, but it is a rather perfect specimen of a light, romantic tale. I rate it a B+.