.: Roberts' Reviews - Movie Reviews :.

I wasn't exactly skipping to the theatre when I headed out to see the new Ryan Reynolds film, Definitely, Maybe. The cast was surely a draw. Alongside Reynolds were Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher (The Wedding Crashers), Kevin Kline and Elizabeth Banks (The 40-year Old Virgin). But the trailers of the film which proposed a story about an inquisitive daughter prodding her recently separated father for a story as to his relationship past seemed like a quintessential chick-flick and like any genre, you need to be a mood for some mush in order to enjoy it and I was about as ready to invest two hours into a story about loves long past as I was to have my legs shaved by Hannibal Lector.

But it was Valentines Day and the female companion on my arm wanted to be reduced to putty via a sappy vehicle so I politely agreed to the screening with an alternative motive.

The trailers detailed the story in full. Maya (Breslin) comes home from school after an informative sex-education class leaves her with multiple questions for daddy Will (Reynolds).

Will then recounts his relationships of yester years going back to 1992 and his first love Emily (Banks) through to his present day situation leaving the historical pieces of the puzzle in the hands of his young daughter to place in order in an attempt to figure which of the women (whose names had all been changed for the purpose of the story) ended up being her biological mother.

Definitely, Maybe might end up as being the most comfortable film of the year. Its storytelling and acting were all top rate and the film itself induced enough smiles and good feelings to give it a hearty recommendation. In fact, hours now since we left the theatre and proofed the review, I can't think of a bad thing to say about Definitely, Maybe. Even the good looking Reynolds known more for his smart ass character Van Wilder than any other piece of his body of work, gave a terrific performance in one of his few serious dramatic turns.

Not overshadowed however is the rest of the cast that have more chemistry than a high-school science class. Isla Fisher in particular shows us that she is definitely the real deal and can handle both the comedic and dramatic roles that she has recently been associated. Like Amy Adams, she is going to be a power to watch for in forthcoming years. As the character April, she was given a role that needs to be sensitive, loopy, confident and mysterious all at the same time she juggles with just being a hottie. When the film was over I couldn't have thought of another single actor that could have handled the role with the ease she shows so effortlessly.

Writer/Director Adam Brooks (no relation to Albert or Mel) works his craft like a warm knife through butter. Not a veteran of the director's chair (although he has directed a handful of films), he hasn't been behind the camera in seven years. But his lack of experience surely is not evident in any frame of Definitely, Maybe. He works the camera through three love stories like a maestro conducting a symphony with precision and delicate artistry. By the end of 112 minutes, you will feel fulfilled as if you were told an engrossing story over some drinks at a bar and hung on every word. The ending fits like a comfortable pair of slippers and although you might not have the film resonate with you a week after your viewing, you will at least be provided with valued entertainment for the dollars forked over at the box office. And in today's crop of usual recycled fare, that says a lot.