At first glance, “Definitely, Maybe” has all the makings of a chick flick: broken hearts, first loves and even a Valentine’s Day opening. But if you’re expecting a classic story in which the girl searches for the perfect guy, fails and then falls in love, you couldn’t be more off the mark.

Set in New York in the ’90s, the film revolves around a man’s search for the perfect girl. Although the movie is fairly predictable, it is a great departure from standard romantic comedies. One of the most obvious differences is that the main character is a man, not a woman.

Rather than being a single career-driven city dweller searching for love, Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is a soon-to-be divorced father who tries to explain his past relationships to his daughter.

“Definitely, Maybe,” directed by Adam Brooks, is a story within a story. The movie begins in the present-day with Maya Hayes’ (Abigail Breslin) curiosity over how her father and mother met.

After insisting that the story of her parents is far too complicated, Will decides to explain it, on one condition: He changes the names of the three women in his life and Maya has to guess which one is her mother. Once Hayes begins to recount his past relationships, the story flashes back to a younger Hayes enduring the trials of romance.

One of the more amusing aspects of the movie is the way it plays up ’90s culture. At Hayes’ first job working on the Clinton campaign, he attempts to convince Isla Fisher’s character, April, that the future president cares about women’s rights, stating that he “gets women.”

Then, after receiving a lecture on politics, April attempts to educate Will on the legendary grunge band Nirvana while “Come As You Are” plays in the background. She also admits that her boyfriend “thinks he’s the next Kurt Cobain.”

On Will’s first day on the job, his boss throws an oversized cell phone to him and Hayes replies, “What’s this?” Later on, when he uses the Internet, the audience can hear the antiquated buzz of a dial-up connection.

“Definetly, Maybe” ironically tends to play up appearance-personality stereotypes. Hayes’s first love and college sweetheart, Emily (Elizabeth Banks) is sweet, blonde and somewhat preppy. Later on, he falls for Summer (Rachel Weisz), an intellectual graduate student with dark hair and glasses who is motivated by her aspirations to become a journalist. Finally, April is an independent, free spirit with bohemian style to match.

While there are no profound statements in “Definitely, Maybe,” it is interesting as well as entertaining to witness a love story from a male point-of-view.

Girls can enjoy it with their friends, and guys might find it more interesting than a typical romantic comedy because it is told from a man’s perspective.