Synopsis: After a soon-to-be-divorced dad’s daughter learns about sex in school, she convinces him to tell her the story about how he met her mother.
Who’s in it? Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz and Kevin Kline.
What I liked about this movie: I think the thing that impressed me most about this film is it wasn’t as predictable as most romantic comedies. As part of the story, Reynolds’ character changes the names of the women so he daughter has to guess which one her mother is. And, surprisingly, it wasn’t the most obvious choice of the three.
Another thing I liked about this movie is how all the characters were treated with respect. One of my biggest pet peeves about movies like this (other than the fact they are usually predictable) is either the guy is a total jerk or the women are very one dimensional. That wasn’t the case this time. Reynolds’ character was very likeable and all three women in the story had traits that were easy to love as well as some things that worked against them. In other words, it was very well written.
What I didn’t like about this movie: This is just a personal thing, obviously, but the little girl in this movie is about the same age as my oldest daughter and, after seeing him having to discuss sex and relationships with her, I’m starting to cringe when I think about having to do that too.
My only real movie-related complaint about this film is I wish it would have taken the time to explain the reasons behind the divorce. Was it related to him being in love with another woman? Or, was there more to it than that? The film doesn’t even make an effort to address it and is missing something as a result.
Final Opinion: Great movie that I honestly loved. It is not your typical, geared-toward-women, romantic comedy.
My Grade: 5 stars out of a possible 5.
