Sakina Jaffrey (Masala) has a bit part as a schoolteacher in Definitely, Maybe, an excellent political rom-com about the Clinton ‘92 campaign starring Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder), Kevin Kline, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz and Elizabeth Banks. This flick’s manipulative, treacly and undistinguished trailer put me off my lunch.

But like campaigns themselves, the trailer and the execrable title are lies. The trailer omits the backbone of the story, the politics, for mainstream marketability. This wonderful movie is actually the spiritual descendant of Speechless (Geena Davis, Michael Keaton), another political speechwriter romance based on real-life couple Mary Matalin and James Carville, mandarins to elephants and asses.

And it’s far better-written than that leaden misfire, which was fun mainly for language groupies and ex-speechies. Written by Adam Brooks (Wimbledon) punching far above his weight, the script captures a lot of truths about love, politics and public intellectuals, about how deeply-felt flings loop like Möbius rings. It’s the best fictional take I’ve seen on our national romance and disillusionment with William Jefferson Clinton. It’s got plenty of formulaic bits, but this time do believe the critics (72% positive on RottenTomatoes) and skip the trailer.

Weisz reprises her Constant Gardener role as a gorgeous, jholiwali maneater. Kline is magnificent. The usually annoying Fisher, Borat’s girlfriend, has never been better. Reynolds, the thinking man’s Dane Cook, is actually tolerable. You’ll recognize the Manhattan settings. The women playing NYC campaign volunteers are ridiculously and unrealistically attractive. The movie is dedicated to proving the sensuousness of absolute belief:

The staffers [of political campaigns] have tons of sex because they’re so full of belief, it’s very sexy when people really believe in things. Marriages are breaking up all over the place during election season. If you’re a guy and you’re lonely, there is no better way to meet someone than volunteering for a political campaign. You will get tons and tons of action. [Link via khoofia]

If you’re a political junkie or in the market for a painfully real rom-com, don’t miss this.

A.O. Scott writes:

… Reynolds is part of an attractive ensemble that includes Derek Luke, as Will’s best friend and sometime partner (they start a political consulting firm together after ‘92), and Kevin Kline, as an aging gonzo journalist who is Will’s chief rival for Summer’s affection.

But it is the women in Will’s life — including Ms. Breslin — who make up the affectionate, unsentimental heart of the film. Ms. Fisher in particular enlivens every scene she’s in with a comic energy that’s antic and graceful… While Definitely, Maybe is hardly perfect, it navigates the choppy waters of modern courtship with commendable, understated honesty. [NYT]

Previously: ‘My Blueberry Nights’, The spy who loved me