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<DIV><FONT face=Impact size=6><U>AVON EXTRA!! EXTRA!!<BR></U></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Georgia><FONT face=Papyrus><FONT face=Impact><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><STRONG>Hey,
Folks!!</STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Georgia><FONT face=Papyrus><FONT face=Impact><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><STRONG>If you are on the ropes about seeing our new
movie, DEFINITELY, MAYBE, or, possibly just as indecisive as the title itself,
take a look at what my <U>favorite local film critic</U>, Chuck Koplinski, has
to say about it below...</STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Georgia><FONT face=Papyrus><FONT face=Impact><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><STRONG>Indeed, Chuck and I don't always see
eye-to-eye on certain movies, but he is really the <U>only</U> <EM>totally
qualified person</EM> I have found writing about <U>movies</U> in Central
Illinois!</STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Georgia><FONT face=Papyrus><FONT face=Impact><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><STRONG>Here's the review, and this should,
hopefully, convince you to get down to the Avon to see this little
gem!</STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
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size=5></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Georgia><FONT face=Papyrus><FONT face=Impact
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<DIV class=ContentStoryHeader><FONT face=Tahoma><FONT
size=4><SPAN class=ContentHeader><STRONG>To love and
lose</STRONG></SPAN><BR></FONT><STRONG><FONT size=4><SPAN
class=ContentSubHeadline>As a romantic comedy, <I>Definitely,
Maybe</I> is a sure thing!</SPAN><BR><BR></FONT></STRONG><SPAN
class=ContentByLine><STRONG>BY </STRONG><A
title="Click here for Chuck Koplinski archives"
href="http://www.illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Archive?author=oid%3A1892"><STRONG><FONT
color=#000000>CHUCK
KOPLINSKI</FONT></STRONG></A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV class=para139><B><SPAN class=text20><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>On seeing the trailer for the new romantic comedy
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=text21><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>Definitely, Maybe</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=text20><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>, my initial reaction was that it was too
bad that a film with so many actresses whose work I enjoy
would be ruined by the presence of resident screwball Ryan
Reynolds. Imagine my surprise when Reynolds proved an engaging
presence in this delightful romantic comedy. He easily rises
to the challenge presented by writer/director Adam Brooks and
co-stars Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, and Elizabeth Banks.
</FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV class=para140><B><SPAN class=text20><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>Initially the premise of the film seems contrived and
overly cute. Will Hayes (Reynolds) has been served divorce
papers, prompting his inquisitive daughter, Maya (Abigail
Breslin), to ask how he and her mother met. To keep things
interesting, Will focuses primarily on three of the many women
he’s dated and changes their names to keep his daughter on her
toes and us engaged. We are treated to a series of flashbacks
that begin in 1992 as we see Will begin to work for the
Clinton campaign, where he meets April (Fisher), another
volunteer. Unfortunately, she asks him to deliver a diary,
parts of which he reads in one of the film’s funnier scenes,
to her friend Summer (Weisz), and he finds himself attracted
to her as well. Rounding out the trio is Emily (Banks), the
girl Will has left back home in Wisconsin, whom he calls when
he’s drunk or lonely. </FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV class=para140><B><SPAN class=text20><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>This could have been another pedestrian romantic
comedy, but Brooks insists on holding his cards close to his
vest when it comes to letting us know the identity of Will’s
soon-to-be-ex, and that helps make the film engaging and
ultimately moving. Instead of leaving us with a couple about
to embark on a beautiful relationship, we are left at the end
of a marriage. Having just seen how it all came to be, this
sort of resolution, especially where Maya is concerned, proves
more poignant than might be expected. </FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV class=para140><B><SPAN class=text20><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>With Fisher and Weisz on board, it’s easy to see why
Will would be torn between the two of these confident, smart,
sexy women. The chemistry these three have is as natural as
the change of seasons, making the possibility of love between
Will and either of the women possible and desirable. Banks is
engaging as well, yet she suffers from a lack of screen time.
As a result, her character functions as nothing more than an
artificial fly in the ointment, present to needlessly
complicate the plot and nothing more. As a bonus, Kevin Kline
is on board as Summer’s boozy older lover. Railing constantly
about the plight of the modern world, the actor steals every
scene he’s in. In the end, the film rests on the shoulders of
Reynolds and Breslin, and they surprisingly play their
father-daughter scenes with a degree of subtlety that is
winning. </FONT></SPAN></B></DIV>
<DIV class=para140><B><SPAN class=text113><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>Although it would be easy to categorize
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=text78><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>Definitely, Maybe</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
class=text113><FONT face=Tahoma size=2> as a chick flick, that
would not only dismissive but inaccurate as well. Although the
film’s romantic elements seem to be front and center, Will’s
efforts to explain to his daughter how he met his mother
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=text78><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>and</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=text113><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2> how he lost her make the film tick. This is a
sweet love story of a different sort, focusing not just on
romantic relationships but also the sacred bond between a
parent and a child, making it a Valentine’s gift that viewers
are likely to return to again and again.
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