FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016

The definitive movies of Ryan Reynolds After years of fan outcry, Ryan Reynolds finally gets the chance to topline a solo Deadpool movie this weekend - and if early critical returns are any indication, it was well worth the wait. In honor of the occasion, we decided to take a fond look back at some of the best and brightest moments from Mr Reynolds’ film career.

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S which is just fine with John Patterson of the LA and even then, the answers to the questions it a likable ensemble cast that included (2002) Weekly, who called it “An effervescent campus poses are open to interpretation. Still, if you’re Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla There’s no denying that Ryan Reynolds is gross-out comedy that’s true to the amoral, in the mood for a less-than-straightforward Fisher, and Rachel Weisz. “As the movie is genetically well-qualified to play feckless, anarchic spirit of Lampoon founder-editor and film, you could do far worse. “Confusing? Yes, about a character’s growing into his own handsome charmers - or that, by 2002, the screenwriter Doug Kenney.” and intentionally so,” wrote Christy Lemire for truth rather than discovering some preor- world was ready for a fresh take on the slobs- the Associated Press. “But it’s never boring.” dained truth, Definitely, Maybe is hard to out- vs.-snobs story that perfect- THE NINES (2007) guess,” wrote Mick LaSalle for the San ed into an art form with - so Whatever problems The Nines might have, DEFINITELY, MAYBE (2008) Francisco Chronicle. “For once in a romantic National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, starring lack of ambition isn’t one of them. This heady A romantic comedy with a twist, Definitely, comedy, you won’t be able to tell after five Reynolds as a legendarily shiftless college stu- sci-fi fantasy, which marked the feature direc- Maybe finds its protagonist looking back on minutes who will end up together.” dent scrambling to preserve his cushy lifestyle torial debut of screenwriter John August, stars the love affair that led to marriage and a child after being cut off by his dad, could have been Reynolds in a triple role as three men strug- - by telling the story to his young daughter, THE PROPOSAL (2009) a lot of fun. The problem, as most critics saw it, gling to understand the truth behind unusual with some names changed and facts adjust- It’s a special occasion when critics really go was that instead of being a schlubby, disadvan- occurrences in their lives - lives that occasion- ed, while in the midst of a divorce. Thanks in nuts for a romantic comedy - or when rom- taged outsider with an axe to grind against the ally intersect - while in the midst of fraught part to those narrative curveballs, most critics com fans care enough about critics’ opin- Man, Reynolds’ character was simply lazy, and encounters with mysterious women (all applauded Maybe - and even if it still ulti- ions to stay away from the cineplex even thus inherently hard to root for. Still, it gave played by Hope Davis, in another triple role). mately traced a rather familiar arc, it was diffi- when a new entry in the genre is supposed him an early chance to carry a film, and it’s It’s the type of trippy metaphysical drama that cult to find too much fault with a resolutely to be subpar. For proof, look no further than become something of a cult comedy classic - demands a viewer’s complete concentration, charming production that made smart use of 2009’s The Proposal, which endured a heap