Maybe I Do – Film Review

Michelle and Allen have reached the point in their relationship to take the next steps toward marriage. Thinking it is a good idea to invite their parents to finally meet, they set a dinner and make it a family affair. To everyone’s surprise, the affair takes on a whole new meaning as the parents already know each other all too well — they’ve been cheating on their spouses for months… with each other. Trapped in this precarious predicament, they try to hide their dalliances from the kids while confronting their spouses’ lovers head-on. Let the games begin.

I began to consider the possibility that maybe I was liking Maybe I Do by Michael Jacobs throughout the first fifteen to twenty minutes. Yet after about roughly twenty minutes, I came to the terrible realization that this was just another utterly boring and wholly unoriginal romantic comedy-drama that seems to draw some influence from Book Club and a multitude of other, better movies in the genre.

The fact that this was written and directed by the person who co-created one of my all-time favourite television series, the wildly successful and adored coming-of-age drama Boy Meets World, makes it all the more regrettable. He also took on Girl Meets World, which although it wasn’t nearly as fantastic, was a rewarding sequel.

Why are innovation and wit so badly missing in Maybe I Do when both of those series had such a wealth of both? It’s a puzzle that I sincerely wish I could solve. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that will be happening anytime soon.

The plot points in this film can essentially be predicted well in advance, which is another dismaying aspect. If you’ve ever watched a romantic comedy, you already know how this one will end. Yet if I didn’t admit that there were at least a few moments that made me chuckle and smile, I’d be lying.

Jacobs has a lighthearted and adorable writing style, but there isn’t enough of that in this story. Sam, played by William H. Macy, watches an extremely depressing movie in the theatre, which causes him to become an emotional wreck in front of his fellow moviegoers. This is one of my favourite parts in the entire movie. When a theatre patron sees this, she decides to sit next to him to keep him company, and the two become fast friends. It’s so cute.

I would have preferred much more of that sort of content in the film. It made me think of Jacobs’ time on Boy Meets World. We do switch between characters quite a bit in the movie, whether it’s Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, or Diane Keaton, so I wish it had been a little more focused and simplified.

If you’re an absolute sucker for rom-coms, you should probably give this movie a shot to see if you’ll enjoy it. Even though it was written and directed by the person who created one of my all-time favourite shows, I didn’t think it was terrible or anything like that, but I was definitely disappointed.

Although Maybe I Do has a few adorable moments along the way, it’s a largely uninspired and formulaic romantic comedy.