The eagerly anticipated and critically acclaimed romantic comedy “Definitely, Maybe” hit theatres last night. Intermission had the opportunity to speak with writer and director Adam Brooks about the film during the lead-up to its release.

INT: What was your inspiration for the movie?

AB: When I write, I don’t think about a lot of other movies — I like to think about what I want to write about. I wanted to tell a story of a young man coming to the big city with all his dreams and hopes. I think the problem with romantic comedies sometimes is that they focus too much on the “boy-meets-girl” element and they don’t create a real world around it. When you’re in your 20s, going into your 30s, there are two main things going on: your work and your love life. They weave in and out of each other, and that’s what I was really interested in: telling that kind of story over a period of years. You get really involved with the characters when a movie takes place over time. And then you have Will tell this story to his daughter, which makes it an inside-out romantic comedy. It creates this twist and love-story-mystery. But then it becomes very real: it becomes about divorce and the timing of love.

INT: Will Hayes’s (Ryan Reynolds) first job in New York is on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. Why set the movie in the frame of the 1992 election?

AB: For a couple of reasons: I like the idea of a character being idealistic, someone who, besides having goals for himself, wanted to make a difference in the world. And then I started thinking about how I wanted to set this story over many years, and the Clinton presidency was perfect, because it started so hopefully. We all were in love with him, but then it was a very bumpy ride. There were a lot of disappointments. And then you have this sex element to it, and that was a great analogy — it creates a great backdrop. It fit Will’s story.

INT: Right before our eyes, we see Will progress as a character. But we also see Ryan Reynolds progress as an actor. His early career was defined by slapstick comedies like Van Wilder. This is his foray into a more adult movie world. Do you think his performance in “Definitely, Maybe” establishes him with an older audience?

AB: I think so. I think he was tired of all that other stuff, and he’s made a very concerted effort to change what his career’s about — it’s very difficult to do. When I met him, I found him to be a really likeable, smart, passionate guy. And as soon as you meet him, you say, “You should be doing really great, smart things.”

There was something about him that lined up with the character. He has a lot of heart, and he’s actually quite idealistic in his politics and other wants. He also has this quality where he can be both real and funny — it’s not about doing slapstick, it’s about the funny that comes out of his character.

INT: I think you see that both in his interaction with his daughter (Abigail Breslin) and his interactions with the three female leads. They are three different characters: you have the very ambitious Summer (Rachel Weisz); Emily (Elizabeth Banks), who you are more in the dark with; and April (Isla Fisher), who is more artsy and eccentric. How did the casting work?

AB: I didn’t want to cast anyone until I cast Will, because that character is in every scene in the movie. It’s all about the balance of stuff, so it would be ridiculous to cast anyone before we cast Will. I met with Isla Fisher, and I wasn’t expecting anything. I couldn’t tell from “Wedding Crashers” — I knew she was great in it, but I didn’t know that she would fit right into this movie. I just had an instinct about it — sometimes it can be kind of scary. She had April inside of her, so we went for it. It was different with Elizabeth Banks: I had seen her in a lot of movies, I met with her, we discussed the script, and it felt very easy to make that decision. Same with Rachel — it was easy to offer the movie to her. She had the power, strength and dedication to play that part.

INT: The actor that blew me away throughout the movie was Kevin Kline. It was more of a cameo role for him, but it seemed like he stole whatever scene he was in. He was very funny, very dry and a bit dark.

AB: And that part is meant to do that. It’s a very showy part. He’s so dynamic, and we don’t get to see him be funny anymore. He was the first person I offered it to, and he turned me down four times before he said yes. He turns down everything — his nickname is “Kevin Decline.” I kept calling him back and eventually he changed his mind and said yes. I encouraged him to have fun with it, to be a big character, and he went with it. He was inventive and he was funny — I was thrilled that he did it.

INT: How long did it take to write the script?

SB: This took longer than usual. I didn’t outline the story, which is something I would normally do. I didn’t work out the meat of the plot — I didn’t know who Will would end up with. I knew the basic premise was him and three women, and soon I figured out that he should tell this story to his daughter, with a crisis in his modern day family — a divorce — happening at the same time. And then I just let myself discover it. Usually a first draft will take me three months. This took me seven to eight months. There were a lot of detours, and a lot of false starts and stops. It was like doing it without a safety net, but the great thing was that it kept surprising me as I wrote it. I’m really happy I wrote it that way.

INT: How has the leadup to the movie’s release been?

AB: It’s nerve-racking. Anyone could say anything they want about you. I’ve worked on this thing for three years, and in the course of the next two weeks, anyone can say anything they want about me and what I do. They could say I’m a no-talent loser. They could say the movie is brilliant, or they can say it’s dull and boring. That’s one thing you dread. Then there’s this enormous expectation. You’ve made this movie that costs $25 million dollars, and you want it to do well, and you want people to go see it. It’s terrifying that you work so long on a movie, and if the first weekend doesn’t go so well, you’re done. That’s what’s exhausting: the anticipation of what’s going to happen. It’s exciting, but you don’t want to get too optimistic.

INT: I read a review by the Times in London that said it’s the best romantic comedy since “Annie Hall.” Do you think it lives up to that?

AB: I know, it’s crazy. I’m thrilled that someone is that enthused about it.