"Definitely, Maybe" movie review
03/08/2008 01:56 p.m.
I went to the theater with my aunt tonight and saw "Definitely, Maybe"

It's a story about a single dad who sets out to tell his daughter how she came to be in the world after she has sex education at school, and then begs him and begs him to tell the story of her beginnings. He finally acquieces, on the condition that he's changing the names of the characters in his love life, and that she has to guess which love of his life is her mother. He ends up describing his entire love life to her along the way.

Overall, I liked the story. The actress who plays the daughter is Abigail Breslin, who also played starring roles in "Little Miss Sunshine", "Signs", "Raising Helen", and several other lesser-known titles. She is adorable in an unassuming, "I am just an ordinary kid" kind of way.

Some of my observations...

First of all, the story seems to span about 15 years, and EVERY ONE of the main character's girlfriends is model-gorgeous and none of them puts on a pound or ages in any way from start to finish. And the main character's personality paired with the very average looks of the actor chosen to play the part sends my asthetic distance running. I found that aspect of the movie to be just a little too pretentious to keep me from good naturedly scoffing.

I did like the way the movie captured the breaking heart of a child who wishes her parents wouldn't get divorced, and how while the adult drama unfolds, there is another story that isn't always told - the losses a child suffers during divorce.

I also enjoyed the daughter's blatantly honest observations of her father's behavior and choices throughout, even if some of them seemed a bit mature for the age of the character. For instance, the daughter says, "What's the male version of 'slut'?", which seems a contrast to the overall innocence portrayed by the incredulous school kids after their exposure to sex-ed.

I found it personally a little morally disturbing that the main character flits from relationship to relationship, revisiting most of them at least once, has a child with his college sweetheart (the second time around for them which turns into a failed marriage), but it turns out THAT'S not the love of his life after all.

I guess my main criticism of this movie is that it didn't quite pull off the mixing of "not plausible" scenarios (the BEAUTIFUL girlfriends who never aged) with the more "plausible" realities of modern romance (multiple partners, divorce, reuniting with past interests, missed synchronicity). I want to either watch a movie and say, "Oh, isn't that fantasy lovely" or "Wow, that was SO real!"

Also, I wasn't too enamored with the main character's personality. I would have liked to care more about who he was.

More reviews out there, anyone????
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I am listening to an early motorcyclist ride