Love's mysteries

Warning: this article contains plot spoilers

Definitely, Maybe is not the standard romantic comedy that might be expected from the makers of Notting Hill and Love Actually. Starting with the hero, Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds), receiving his divorce papers, it is clear that romance is a thing of the past for him. The girl in his life now is his precocious ten year old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin). Maya is naturally upset by the impending divorce, and doesn’t understand why her parents don’t feel the same way about each other as when they first met. Will tells her that he fell in love with her mother because she was ‘smart and beautiful and fun’, to which Maya responds, ‘So now she’s stupid and boring and ugly?’ In the hope that it might help her father to see his situation more clearly, Maya demands that he tells her the story of how her parents first met. Will is perhaps understandably reluctant to share his complex love-life with his daughter, but she is very insistent and so he complies, with a few conditions. He will tell the story, but changing names and any other facts he sees fit, and he will not tell Maya which of the women he has loved was her mother. So begins this ‘love story mystery’.

At the beginning of his story, Will is just leaving college. He is an idealistic young man with ambitions to change the world, and he plans to do that from the campaign offices of Bill Clinton in New York. Clinton’s campaign and presidency forms the backdrop for the whole of Will’s tale. Just as the political climate shifts from one of optimism to disillusionment, so Will’s love life becomes increasingly complicated, with less chance of a happy ending. Drifting apart from his college sweetheart, Emily (Elizabeth Banks), Will encounters the charismatic aspiring journalist Summer (Rachel Weisz), and the feisty yet politically apathetic ‘photocopier girl’, April (Isla Fisher). As we follow his story he falls in love with all three of these women at different times, and yet, with the fact of his divorce at the back of our minds, we know that none of these relationships will be a fairytale romance. Definitely, Maybe is an exploration of the many facets of love; actress Isla Fisher summarises the film as being ‘about romantic love, unrequited love, paternal love, lost love and the love between friends.’ These are not portrayed in a superficial way, however, but are shown in the context of how they function within the messy reality of life.

Emily, the college girlfriend, is Will’s first true love. They have a steady relationship, but Emily worries that moving to New York will change Will. She is right, and before long, their different goals in life pull them apart. Will tries to make the relationship work, even proposing to Emily, but she recognizes that his ambitions are too big to allow him to settle down with her. ‘Emily is obviously beautiful and fantastic, but from Will’s hometown,’ Ryan Reynolds comments, ‘Will feels incredibly safe with her.’ However, this is not enough to save their relationship, and they go their separate ways. The love which Will has for Emily seems to be based on the feeling of comfort and security he gains from the relationship. At one point in his proposal he even compares her to his mother! This kind of love, however, doesn’t appear to be compatible with Will’s new, fast-paced and exciting New York lifestyle.

Enter Summer Hartley. Will reads about her unusual school exploits in her diary, and when they first meet she is in a relationship with an eminent and aging professor (Kevin Kline). Very different from the wholesome girls Will has previously met, Summer has an exotic appeal. ‘She’s very bold, and she’s very ambitious and carefree,’ explains Rachel Weisz. Ryan Reynolds describes her as: ‘a little bit out of his league. She’s this very sophisticated and intelligent, beautiful woman.’ Summer represents all the racy excitement of New York, and Will falls in love with her fierce intellect and daring attitude to life. For a long time, it seems that Summer is unable to commit to the kind of relationship that Will desires, but eventually they get together. However, work is still very important to both of them, and when they are forced to choose between their ambitions and their relationship, the romance doesn’t stand much of a chance.

Almost as soon as he arrives in New York, Will finds a close friend and occasional sparring partner in April, a nonconformist colleague. Despite their differences, they provide companionship and a listening ear for each other through the various romantic entanglements they each find themselves in. Executive producer Bobby Cohen describes April as ‘passionate, caustic, brilliant’, and from the moment we see her, we know that Will and April will end up in a relationship sooner or later. As it turns out though, both of them realise that they feel more for each other than just friendship – but at different times – and the promised romance between them remains unfulfilled. As with Emily and Summer, Will’s other agendas just keep getting in the way. When the opportunity comes to make a commitment, there is always something, whether his ambitions or his feelings for someone else, that Will prioritises above the relationship.

One person, however, is proclaimed by Will to be more important than anything else. His daughter Maya is his top priority and the highlight in his otherwise unfulfilling life. ‘One of the wonderful elements of this movie’, explains Cohen, ‘is that it is as much a love story between Will and his daughter, Maya, as it is between Will and April or Summer or Emily.’ This relationship is arguably the most touching one in the film. Maya’s love for her father is not affected by the divorce or by finding out about his romantic history. While she would like her parents to be reunited, her most heartfelt wish is for her father to be happy. We see many relationships start and end in the film, but the moment which truly tugs at the heartstrings is when Will tells his daughter that the happy ending to his story is her.

The way love is portrayed in this film reflects the messiness and loneliness that characterise so much of real life. However, Will and Maya’s relationship offers a glimpse of hope that love can last and be powerful enough to transcend whatever problems we may face. The Christian hope is that God offers us such a relationship, the chance to experience the unconditional love of a father who wants us to be truly happy. In Definitely, Maybe, April searches for a lost copy of Jane Eyre which contains an inscription from her dead father. The poem from which it is taken, ‘Evening Solace’ by Charlotte Brontë, is a moving description of the mingled nostalgia and heartache we feel when looking back on former relationships. However, the poem concludes with the suggestion that such memories can lead ‘To solemn thoughts that soar to heaven / Seeking a life and world to come.’ The love and loss we experience in our broken world point towards the perfect enduring love that only our heavenly father can offer.

All unattributed quotes are either from the film or the production notes.

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