Definitely, Maybe
Universal Pictures | Release Date: February 14, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
20
Mixed:
12
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The Hollywood ReporterStephen Farber
The film is far from a complete washout, and this is chiefly a tribute to its immensely attractive and appealing cast. Ryan Reynolds proves to have the stuff of a true leading. man. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
A pleasingly non-formulaic romantic seriocomedy, Definitely, Maybe has charm and some depth. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Brooks' take on the ups and downs of modern romance and the unexpected turns it takes is smart, funny, and (above all) uncommon. It's not hard to recommend this on Valentine's Day or at any other time. Read full review
70
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
A surprisingly rewarding romantic comedy. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Absolutely, probably more comfortable with human romantic complication than the usual stuff released on Valentine's Day. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A sophisticated story of disappointment and accommodation. Read full review
80
EmpireSam Toy
Sweet, funny, simple, entertaining -- everything a good rom-com should be. Definitely... Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Keeps you interested in its characters and isn’t afraid of complicating your sympathies a little. In these dog-day months for romantic comedy, that means a lot. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
There’s a surprising – and truthful – melancholic undercurrent to Definitely, Maybe – the one commonality between the three women is the heartbreak they induce – but Brooks undermines that truthfulness with a dogmatic insistence upon romantic mythologizing. No maybes about it: The reality is far darker, and more interesting. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Abigail Breslin, the preteen Oscar nominee for "Little Miss Sunshine" and the most effortless actress of her generation, plays the precocious little girl part without overdoing the precociousness. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
A nimble and winning little romance Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
A lot fresher and bit more sophisticated than the ordinary run of maudlin chick flicks and crude gross-out sex farces that now pass for romantic comedies. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to guess which gal became the wife, which gal should have become the wife and which gal is there just to play with our heads. It's exactly like that old shell game – mildly diverting, pea-sized and otherwise hollow. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's generally enjoyable, amusing and more sophisticated than most films in this genre. Read full review
50
SalonMary Elizabeth Williams
May be the first midlife crisis movie for Generation X. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
One thing the movie does well is skewer Bill Clinton. Though Hayes works for him and nominally defends him to detractors, we see old sins rehashed: Gennifer Flowers, Monica Lewinsky, his impeachment. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
This is a film bound and determined to do whatever it takes to be your Valentine. If it had trusted itself more, it might even have succeeded. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
All three actresses are appealing, but Fisher, proving her scene-stealing turn in Wedding Crashers was no fluke, shines brightest. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Maybe writer-director Adam Brooks has made a fluffy Woody Allen pastiche here, but it's arguably more pleasing than anything Allen himself has done lately. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's a decent Valentine's date-night flick, and should earn Reynolds the attention he'll need to snare stronger leading roles. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
On the plus side, Definitely, Maybe has an appealing cast, some amusing scenes and at least tries to do something different. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Definitely, Maybe gets too coy in spots, and Brooks is a sharper writer at this point in his career than he is a director. But for a film with a half-dozen fully-formed characters that spans 15 years and works in a swell detail about a 1943 edition of "Jane Eyre" - well, it definitely works. No maybes about it. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
To sum up, Definitely, Maybe is crap with compensations. Read full review
50
Washington PostJohn Anderson
Definitely an overlong exercise in the concept of kismet, and maybe it's just what you want, in lieu of chocolates. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Put simply, the film excels most at not being awful. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This highly uneven comedy by writer-director Adam Brooks might be easier to take if it were less infatuated with its own cuteness. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
There's no maybe about its standing as romantic comedy -- definitely bad. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
The flashback itself is a romantic dramedy that's far smarter than junk like "27 Dresses." Unfortunately, to enjoy that flashback, you have to ignore two gargantuan idiocies: No sane father would twist his daughter into knots by telling this story. It's full of booze, cigarettes, infidelity and sex with women who aren't Mom. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Maybe it's a measure of the numbing awfulness of romantic comedies in general lately, but Definitely, Maybe isn't nearly so bad as you might fear; it's actually fairly pleasant, a bit too off-color to be a family film but enjoyable just the same. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Isn't terrible exactly, but it's bland, and in some ways that's worse. It's a romance posing as a detective story in which the solution is obvious and not worth the fuss. Read full review
60
TimeRichard Schickel
Reynolds can't help looking rather shifty as he relates his story and Breslin, who was so wonderful in Little Miss Sunshine, is obliged to play a standard-issue wise child. Read full review
50
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
As a romantic comedy, Definitely, Maybe is an explosion of sweetness and hugs that might cause your stomach to churn if you don't like your sentimentality too strong. Read full review
70
The New YorkerDavid Denby
In serious roles, Weisz can be stiff-backed and righteous, but here, doing comedy, she appears to be a major actress eager to reveal everything she’s been holding inside. Read full review
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