Oh-oh, chic flic time folks, there really isn’t much going on out there at the moment as regards decent movie material, so after a barbeque with several wines, I wound up watching this number. I don’t mind the odd romantic comedy, and I quite like some of the actors therein, the movie was directed by Adam Brooks (new to me) but scored pretty well in the usual places.

It stars Ryan Reynolds as a father who is just about to seal his divorce, and having some personal misgivings about his situation. He picks up his precocious 10 year old daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) up from school, fresh from sex talk lesson about which she gives a vocal monologue on all the way home. She then coerces him into telling the story of his life and loves, her main thrust being how he met her mother and how they fell in love. Will (Reynolds) tells her a tale, changing all the names as a puzzle for her to see if she can guess who is her mother, and the girl he married!

The story develops with three girls being his past loves, Emily, April, and Summer, played by  Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, and Rachel Weisz respectively, all being intertwined through his first job and move to New York from a small town, and subsequent job with an agency. Reynolds does not disappoint, he plays the part in an engaging, charming and typically strong performance and I think is much underrated in this type of role. Kevin Kline turns up as an older love of one of Will’s girlfriends, and plays an amusingly droll character part. The script is excellent, well paced and never resorts to the usual smut or dumb gags that do not work, the direction is tight, the performances are perfect from the assembled talent.

8.0/10, Most often the weak script or performance ruins this type of movie, but here is a great example of a well written and directed film with great performances and a nice line in guesswork right up until near the end. A good date movie or something nice and romantic for a night in.