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(About Our Ads) "DEFINITELY, MAYBE" (2008) (Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy None Heavy Minor None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None None Mild Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Heavy Heavy Minor QUICK TAKE: Romantic Dramedy: Pressed for details by his curious, young daughter, a nearly divorced father tells her a mystery love story about three women from his past, one of which turns out to be the girl's mother. PLOT: Will Hayes (RYAN REYNOLDS) is an ad executive who's just received the final divorce papers from his wife. Yet, the one good thing that came from their marriage is young daughter Maya (ABIGAIL BRESLIN) whose recent sex-ed class has left her with many questions. While Will uncomfortably skirts around the biological ones, he does agree to tell Maya a bedtime story of sorts about her mother, although his changing of names will leave the girl guessing which one turns out to be the mom she's known all her life. We then flashback to 1992 when Will is about to leave his college sweetheart, Emily (ELIZABETH BANKS), back in Wisconsin for two weeks while he travels to New York City to work on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. Despite Will's ideals and speechwriting abilities, his boss, Gareth (ADAM FERRARA), relegates him to fetching coffee and stocking the bathrooms with toilet paper. Apolitical copy girl April (ISLA FISHER) finds that amusing, but fellow campaign worker Russell McCormack (DEREK LUKE) likes Will's perseverance, with the two becoming travel roommates when Will extends his two-week commitment. Later, he meets aspiring journalist Summer Hartley (RACHEL WEISZ) who's dating Hampton Roth (KEVIN KLINE), her much older thesis advisor and published author. As the years pass and political work comes and goes, Will ends up falling for, involved with, the object of desire for, and/or breaking up with Emily, April and/or Summer, with Maya closely following the details of his recounted story, trying to figure out which one ends up being her mother. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into romantic dramedies, are fans of anyone in the cast, or are looking for a date movie, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexual content, including some frank dialogue, language and smoking. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: RYAN REYNOLDS plays an initially idealistic but then disillusioned political campaign worker and ad man who's just received the final divorce papers from his wife. Having their daughter for the day, he reluctantly agrees to tell her about how he and his mom met, but changes the names of the women in his past so that his daughter has to guess the identity. He drinks, briefly smokes, uses some profanity, and is involved with Emily, April and Summer over the years, with some sex implied. ISLA FISHER plays a young woman he meets while working on a presidential campaign. Initially an opportunistic copy girl who doesn't want to be labeled, she ends up working in a book store, going in and out of being in love with Will while also dating other guys. She uses some profanity, drinks some, smokes a little, and presumably has sex with him. RACHEL WEISZ plays an aspiring journalist who's initially dating Hampton, but then does so with Will, although their aspirations eventually clash with unfavorable results. She drinks some, presumably has sex with will, and later announces she's pregnant by a man who's now out of the picture. It's also implied she had a lesbian fling with Emily in the past. ELIZABETH BANKS plays Will's college sweetheart who he intends to marry, but their cross-country separation and time apart leads to her sleeping with his roommate. It's implied she had a lesbian fling with Summer in the past. DEREK LUKE plays Will's coworker and new best friend who works on several campaigns with him until they have a falling out. ABIGAIL BRESLIN plays Will's young daughter who's curious about sex (after a surprise sex-ed class at school) and how he and her mother met, all related to their pending divorce about which she's obviously not happy. ADAM FERRARA plays the boss to Will and the others on several campaigns. He briefly smokes and drinks some. KEVIN KLINE plays April's thesis advisor, an older, intellectual and unorthodox man who drinks, smokes, and has a thing for younger women. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a quick look at the content found in this romantic dramedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 4 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. The same holds true for sexually related dialogue, some of that coming from the mouth of a young girl asking graphic questions about information learned in a sex-ed class. Some characters make out, and there are also references to a past lesbian encounter, other sexual activity, and various instances of infidelity, while a pregnant woman is going to have her baby without the father in the picture. Tense family material is present, mostly stemming from a pending, finalized divorce and its effect on the daughter of the couple. Various characters drink in various scenes (one to the point of intoxication), a few brief drug references are made, and various characters smoke (with two having a competition to see whose cigarette will last the longest). Other potentially imitative behavior occurs, while bad attitudes are present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's a little bit of handheld camerawork in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE People have beer at a political party. We see a sign for beer in a convenience store. Will has a beer in a bar as do others, and when he calls Emily back home, she notes that he's drunk. Hampton asks Will if he wants a drink, and the latter says it's too early, but Hampton pours both of them some liquor, and they both drink it. When Will asks Hampton what he does, Hampton replies, "I drink." Later, Will wakes up from having fallen asleep and/or passed out, which also holds true for Hampton. Making cold calls for a campaign dinner, we hear Will telling someone he's called that fifty percent of Americans support marijuana use (with the person on the other end hanging up). Two store clerks discuss whether Bill Clinton inhaled (pot), with one saying it's like asking if he was cheating if caught in bed with a woman. One says no, but April chimes in yes. People have beer at a party. Campaign workers, including April, have beer at an office celebration. Will, Hampton and others have drinks. Summer has wine. About Hampton being hospitalized and his explanation for the cause of that, Summer sarcastically says it wasn't the booze, cigarettes or sophomores that's killing him. A campaign worker states that comedian/actor Robert Klein is drunk, while Will tells Gareth to have a drink (to calm his nerves). Will has beer. Will and April have beer. Will has beer. People have beer and liquor at a birthday party. Later, April finds Will sitting on the curb, intoxicated and holding a bottle in a brown paper bag (from which she takes a swig). Will has wine. About his story of his past, Maya tells her dad that she can't believe he smoked, drank, and was "such a slut" (but adds that she still loves him anyway). People have wine and/or champagne at a party. BLOOD/GORE None. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Will's male roommate talks about women in NYC being into casual sex, prompting Will to tell Emily (who isn't happy hearing such news) that the roommate is "functionally retarded." When April says she's apolitical and doesn't know about the issues, Will is shocked and asks about things such as women's rights and what they can do with their bodies. That prompts April to reply, "I do what I want with my body." Those opposed to abortion (presumably what David is referring to) might find that as a bad attitude. There are various scenes dealing with statements regarding reports of Bill Clinton's infidelity. Egged on by Russell, Will opens Emily's gift for Summer, and it turns out to be the latter's diary. Will then starts reading it, with talk of being half-dressed, and then the beginning part of a past lesbian encounter between Emily and Summer. Will can't continue, but Russell wants him to, saying, "She's a freak." Later, we see Will reading the rest of the diary under the covers by flashlight. Although he doesn't know where Will was, Russell covers for him when Will returns home after being out all night to find that Emily has arrived early. Right after Will proposes to her, Emily admits that she slept with his roommate back home. When she comments on not knowing how to tell a guy he's not right for you, Will sarcastically replies the best way is by having sex with the roommate. Knowing it will upset him and likely ruin their relationship, Summer nevertheless writes a damaging story about the candidate for whom Will works. Despite finding a book that April has been trying to locate for years, Will ends up holding onto it for more years, later saying it was the last piece he had of her. Summer informs Will that Hampton died a year ago, adding that it was on a couch with the dean's daughter (but then says she's joking about the last part). FRIGHTENING SCENES We hear that Hampton had an aortal rupture and is now hospitalized (not unsettling in the way it's played, but those sensitive to such matters might find it that way). GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Why couldn't you have told me when you had your sh*t together?" "I do have my sh*t together," "Your sh*t is a mess," "What's the boy word for slut?" "Horny," "Like Pandora's hot sex box," "Syntax is what Nevada brothels pay the IRS," "We learned all about sexual intercourse at school yesterday," "What a d*ck," "You must be completely psyched," "Bitches" (heard in a song), "He's functionally retarded" (Will's sarcastic comment about his roommate), "I'm the toilet paper guy," "Idiots," "She is a freak," "Kiss ass" (verb), "Where the hell are you?" "Are you insane?" "The rest is pretty much crap," "You're kidding me," "Just shut up," "Pissed," "Like sandpaper and bare ass...you'd be the ass," "Yuppie puppy in an Armani suit," "He's a putz," "God, you're such a drama queen," "Double-crossing bitch," "You screwed up," "Who the hell..?" "You're an idiot" and "I screwed it up." A few miscellaneous characters sport tattoos. Russell and a woman make playful fun of Will calling Emily from a phone booth, with the woman mockingly pressing her lips up against the glass door. April and Will have a contest to see whose cigarette lasts the longest, and that includes blowing some smoke rings. We see miscellaneous graffiti in several scenes. Will throws food at his TV (angry with what President Clinton is saying on the news). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Will initially plays the wrong song on his portable music device, with the partial lyric "Bitches, they can kiss my..." being heard. PROFANITY At least 4 "s" words, 2 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck" and "putz"), 4 asses, 2 hells, 1 crap, 6 uses of "Oh my God," 4 of "God," 3 of "Jesus," 2 each of "My God," "Oh Christ" and "Oh God," and 1 use each of "Christ" and "Sweet Jesus." SEX/NUDITY When Will goes to pick up Maya at school, the scene is chaos, the result of an unexpected and premature sex-ed class for the young kids. We hear one boy excitedly telling his friends about hundreds of million of sperm being ejaculated into the woman, while a girl angrily asks her mom if she (the mom) and her dad still have sex. Maya then asks questions to Will about sex, including of the penis thrusting into the vagina, and about whether a friend was an "accident." Will is flustered and says it's not like that kid's father slipped on a banana peel (and then into the mother), with Maya then asking why that couple had sex if they didn't want to get pregnant (with Will replying that they were practicing). This talk continues for a while and in various settings, with Maya wanting to know how he and her mother met, and if he had girlfriends before her. He says he had two and a smattering of other women, with Maya then asking if there's a "boy word for slut." She then asks about whether when he was about to put his penis into another woman's vagina he realized Maya's mom was the woman for him. Will's male roommate talks about women in NYC being into casual sex, prompting Will to tell Emily (who isn't happy hearing such news) that the roommate is "functionally retarded." Emily mentions all the guys at college wanting to sleep with Summer in the past. When April says she's apolitical and doesn't know about the issues, Will is shocked and asks about things such as women's rights and what they can do with their bodies. That prompts April to reply, "I do what I want with my body." We see TV footage of Gennifer Flowers stating she was Bill Clinton's lover for the past two years. Will calls Emily back home, with her saying he's drunk. He replies she's beautiful, she says, "You're horny," and he replies that she's right. Egged on by Russell, Will opens Emily's gift for Summer, and it turns out to be the latter's diary. Will then starts reading it, with talk of being half-dressed, and then the beginning part of a past lesbian encounter between Emily and Summer. Will can't continue, but Russell wants him to, saying, "She's a freak." Later, we see Will reading the rest of the diary under the covers by flashlight. When Will asks Hampton if he's Summer's father, he jokingly replies, "Yeah, I'm her daddy." There's talk about real men cussing and fighting, with Summer asking about sex, and Will saying yes, but that's not what real men call it. There's then talk about him reading her diary, and he comments on the part about her and Emily touching and kissing. Will then asks about her and Summer (meaning sex), with her saying yes they do, and then asking him if he's ever had sex with a sexagenarian. He says he hasn't, and that it must take a lot to please a woman like her. She then plants a passionate kiss on him, saying that Hampton always tells her to experiment and such, but nothing else comes of that then. Later, however, Russell jokes about that and the earlier diary bit, saying that Will could have a three-some or four-some if Hampton was involved. There's a comment equating that to "Pandora's hot sex box," with Maya in the present then stopping the story to ask what a three-some is. Two store clerks discuss whether Bill Clinton inhaled (pot), with one saying it's like asking if he was cheating if caught in bed with a woman. One says no, but April chimes in yes. After April comments on it being nice that she and Will don't have to worry about being attracted to one another, they suddenly and passionately kiss. They quickly stop, however, and he leaves. Right after Will proposes to her, Emily admits that she slept with his roommate back home. When she comments on not knowing how to tell a guy he's not right for you, Will sarcastically replies the best way is by having sex with the roommate. April shows a little cleavage. Comparing themselves to a potential bad mix such as oil and water, April says she and Will would be like sandpaper and "bare ass." Maya interrupts the story to say she can't believe that Emily "rehearsed" (had sex with) Will's roommate in the past. In a presentation about writing and grammar, Hampton states, "Syntax is what Nevada brothels pay the IRS." Summer jokes that Will has the look of someone you want to rip the clothes off of. Will and Summer passionately kiss while lying side by side in bed, clothed. We then see a montage of them kissing in various locales. We then see them in bed under the covers the next morning (he's shirtless, she's in some sort of cleavage-revealing top). She wants to spend the entire day in bed with him, but an important phone call interrupts that. About Hampton being hospitalized and his explanation for the cause of that, Summer sarcastically says it wasn't the booze, cigarettes or sophomores that's killing him. He then says that he's donated all but one organ that he's left for her, but then adds that it's "not that one" (saying it's his heart). April tells Will the story of some guy who had his hands all over her and that she liked it. She then adds, however, that she "removed his hand from my ass" and walked away. There's footage of Bill Clinton on TV stating that he did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. Will states that he hasn't had sex since Clinton was reelected, with April joking that he (Clinton) is having enough sex for all of them, and that maybe they should seduce an intern. Russell comments on the President being involved with a "little oral-ness" and that leading to impeachment proceedings. Summer announces that she's pregnant (and is happy about that), but that the father is now out of the picture. About his story of his past, Maya tells her dad that she can't believe he smoked, drank, and was "such a slut" (but adds that she still loves him anyway). Summer informs Will that Hampton died a year ago, adding that it was on a couch with the dean's daughter (but then says she's joking about the last part). After they meet up again, Emily asks what happened to them in the past, with Will reminding her, "You slept with my roommate." Maya tells her mom, "We learned all about sexual intercourse at school yesterday." SMOKING Hampton smokes a few times, Will and April each smoke once (and are seen buying cigarettes, having a contest to see whose cigarette burns the longest, and blowing smoke rings), Gareth smokes once, and a few miscellaneous people are seen smoking. When Will's visualized story shows him buying some cigarettes, Maya stops the story and calls him on that earlier behavior, with him replying that he did, but hasn't smoked in a long time. About Hampton being hospitalized and his explanation for the cause of that, Summer sarcastically says it wasn't the booze, cigarettes or sophomores that's killing him. He then wants a cigarette (but doesn't get one). About his story of his past, Maya tells her dad that she can't believe he smoked, drank, and was "such a slut" (but adds that she still loves him anyway). TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see Will receiving the final divorce papers from his wife at work (we don't see the wife). We then hear him state that he gets their daughter for two days a week. Stemming from a sex-ed talk, Maya asks Will if she was an "accident," with him reassuring her she wasn't. In addition, she isn't happy about her parents' pending divorce, and thus is adamant to know how the two met. April says her dad died in a car accident when she was 13, and that she's been searching for the copy of Jane Eyre that he signed for her before her death. Will later locates and gives the book to her, making her emotional. Maya is still upset about her mom and dad getting a divorce, asking how his story of the two meeting can have a happy ending if it concludes that way (in divorce). He later tells her that she's the happy ending. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Dating, relationships, and knowing when you've met Mr. or Mrs. Right. Parents who are divorced or are going through the process, and the effect that has on kids. Working on political campaigns. President Clinton and his reported sexual scandals. Sexual education, especially in regards to young kids. Infidelity. We hear that Hampton had an aortal rupture and is now hospitalized. Summer announces that she's pregnant (and is happy about that), but that the father is now out of the picture. VIOLENCE Will accidentally staples his finger (no blood). Will trips and falls in his place, but is otherwise okay. After Will makes a disparaging comment to her (while intoxicated), April slaps him twice. Will then throws his bottle (in a brown paper bag) to the street hard, causing the bottle to break. Reviewed February 12, 2008 / Posted February 14, 2008