Definitely, Maybe (12)

2:52pm Tuesday 17th June 2008

THERE are some things that children just don't need to know.

That includes an exhaustive account of how their fathers came to meet their mothers and the partners of their youthful exuberance.

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher. Directed by: Adam Brooks

But this is exactly what we get in Adam Brooks' Definitely, Maybe. Thirty-something father Will Hayes (Reynolds), currently going through a divorce, picks up his 11-year-old daughter Maya (Breslin) from school on the day of her first sex education class.

Her new found knowledge about the birds and the bees fires a curiosity about how her parents got together.

So, sitting his daughter down, Will, via a prolonged flashback, takes Maya through a detailed version of his romantic history.

It is set in 1992 as Will, an idealistic, budding politician, relocates to New York to work on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

By creating imaginary names it's unclear who Will ends up marrying - is it college sweetheart Emily (Banks), journalist Summer (Weisz) or work colleague April (Fisher)?

This is something for his daughter to figure out, who, by the way, has an emotional intelligence far outnumbering her years.

Despite the rather lame attempt to tell the story through a flashback the film deserves credit for not making the ending quite as corny as it could have been.

The acting is impressive. All of Will's women - Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher - give strong performances.

It's a likeable enough film, but delivers little romance or comedy. Despite his three possible love interests you get the feeling his daughter - rather than his heart - had more say on which woman he ended up with.

Rating: 5/10

The movie was supplied by Blockbuster. For more information on films, please log on to www.blockbuster.co.uk.

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