Definitely Maybe Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Charlie Bartlett
It was set to come out in August, a darkly comic, drug-filled teaser to the impending back-to-school September. Then the film got bumped to February, and slid in and out of theaters with barely a second glance. This is too bad, because we're talking about a flick free of the booze and boobs teen movie mentality, and one that stars Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, and Kat Dennings.

Charlie Bartlett is the story of a spoiled, ignored rich kid (Yelchin). With a mother (Davis) who is troubled and heavily medicated, he runs rampant with his own brand of living -- an Igby character with the talents of Veronica Mars. But when he's ravaged the available private schools, he gets sent to the public variety, where he ends up becoming not only a prescription drug dealer, but a pseudo psychiatrist. All would be well in this new gig, save for the fact that he's dating the principal's (Downey Jr.) daughter (Dennings), and the principal wants to bring him down.

It might have sneaked by without a glance, but the Charlie Bartlett disc offers a decent collection of features. First, there are two commentaries -- one is director Jon Poll with writer Gustin Nash, and the other is Poll with stars Yelchin and Dennings. There is also a Restroom Confessional featurette, and a music video for "Voodoo" by Spiral Beach.

Check out Erik's Review | Buy the DVD

Several things conspire to make Definitely, Maybe seem a dicey proposition at first glance. There's the rarely-inspiring presence of Ryan Reynolds, whose film career has, up to now, moved between mediocre comedies and mediocre action and horror films and served mostly as a demonstration of the phenomenon of 'failing up.' There's also the gimmicky nature of the pitch giving off warning signs, as divorcing dad Reynolds tells his daughter Abigail Breslin the story of his life before he got married, shielding names and facts so she can't figure out which of the three women (Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks or Rachel Weisz) he knew and loved when he was single came to be her mother. "I like it," Breslin says early in the film, appraising Reynolds's efforts. "It's like a love story-mystery." And even that's a somewhat off-putting moment; Gee, kid, thanks for pointing that out for us.

But Definitely, Maybe, written and directed by Adam Brooks, surprised me as it unfolded, and got around my initial reservations with its mix of good humor and grace. Not only is Reynolds an appealing lead here -- possibly because the boyishness that's undercut his other work is an integral part of his character – but Definitely, Maybe also has some grit and gristle under the glib gimmick of the mommy-mystery hook. As Reynolds explains the long and winding road of what happened and when, Brooks's script mostly doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, and it doesn't paint Reynolds as some perfect, hapless everyman undone by random chance; he makes mistakes, and he pays for them, and he tries to set things right. Reynolds is normally light and charming enough on screen, but there's something new in his performance here, as his inner feelings keep coming into view behind his smile.

Odds and ends from Tuesday:

• Why do I immediately feel sorry for any actor that has to play love interest to Renée Zellweger? Is something wrong with me? Am I going to hell? Variety reports Bradley Cooper has just signed on to star opposite Zellweger in Case 39, to be directed by Christian Alvart. Cooper will play a detective who catches Zellweger's eye, as the social worker investigates a case of child abuse.
• Along with the news that she's in negotiations to star in Definitely, Maybe (alongside Martha's on-screen hero, Ryan Reynolds), Elizabeth Banks has also signed on to play a part in the Warner Bros. Christmas comedy, Joe Claus. Pic stars Vince Vaughn as Santa's moronic brother, who returns to the North Pole and almost ruins Christmas. Banks will play "a hyper-organized member of Santa's Little Helpers", as well as Vaughn's love interest.
• In an attempt to compete with folks like MySpace and YouTube, Viacom's MTV Networks has decided to buy Atom Entertainment, home to one of my favorite websites, Atom Films. According to reports, Atom's videos (which include a ton of awesome short films) will be promoted across MTV's 24 broadband web channels. While most will see this as just another large corporation's attempt to rule the internet, I view this as a great way to help short films gain more exposure. I'd be interested to see what the folks from Atom Films have to say about this? Feel free to chime in folks.