Valentine's Day (D or 1/4 stars)
Aiming to be this year's Love Actually (2003), 'Valentine's Day', directed by Gary Marshall, is a shadow of that film. This film is, basically, a collection of vignettes that take place in L.A. during said holiday. Some of the characters know each other; others don't, & most converge in one way or another. The main story revolves around Reed (Ashton Kutcher), a florist & the 2 women he's caught between. The 1st is Morley (Jessica Alba), his relationship-phobic fiancee, & the 2nd is Julia (Jennifer Garner), his best girl 'friend'. Julia's feelings for Reed are dormant because she's IN a relationship with a philandering doctor, Harrison (Patrick Dempsey). All the while, sports reporter Kelvin Moore (Jamie Foxx), has been sent, against his liking, to do a story on 'modern love'; & surprises himself by falling for Kara (Jessica Biel), the agent for a popular quarterback (Eric Dane) who's to make a public announcement concerning his career - or so we think.
There are other sub-stories: a part-time phone sex operator named Liz (Anne Hathaway) who finds her night job interfering with a budding relationship with Jason (Topher Grace); 2 strangers (Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper) who connect on a 1 hr. flight; an old couple (Hector Elizondo, Shirley MacLaine) who find out that their 50+ yr. marriage may have had some indiscretions; 2 teen couples (Taylor Swift & Taylor Lautner, Emma Roberts & Carter Jenkins) who ruminate over the pros & cons of having sex so young; and a kid (Bryce Robinson) trying to deal with his very 1st crush. All of these people try to navigate their way through the Valentine pressures (monitary & emotional), break-ups, make-ups, love, hate, heartbreak, & bliss - a day in the life of LOVE.
When films involving large casts succeed (Love Actually, most Robert Altman films), it's because the sub-stories are interesting & the myriad of characters are well-acted; despite the minimal screen time. This is not the case for almost all of the stories. I blame a fair share of the actors (who underperform), but the main issue is with the script. It forces the actors to rush/overact their portrayals because they know they only have an allotted amount of time (117 min. of story spread across 10 couples). And the sub-stories are all superficial & cliche-ridden, anyway. There are only 2 stories I 'kind of' liked: the phone sex operator & her boyfriend, & the strangers-on-the-plane scenario - and that's because Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Julia Roberts & Bradley Cooper are the most effective actors in the film, not because the stories are any good. And Hathaway, in particular, made me laugh quite a bit.
Another thing that damages this film is that the central 'story' involving (Kutcher, Alba, Garner & Dempsey). Not only are Kutcher & Alba weak, but the story itself is just so uninspired. Whenever the story came back to this foursome, momentum stalled. Now, not everything stinks in this movie. I'm sure many people will enjoy it as light entertainment. Most of the cast is attractive people doing attractive things. Some aspects are satisfactory (teen abstinence, the idea that dating best friends isn't so bad, that multi-cultural couples aren't a pre-ordained bad thing & there's even a homosexual relationship, however curt). The stories tie together in a tidy ending. And the plot is undemanding. But overall, there are just too many stories, too many characters & not enough romance or comedy. 'Valentine's Day' is too sugary, too cliche, & not smart enough to warrant anyone's full attention.
I love something that Roger Ebert says in his review of this movie: it's a First Date film. If your date liked it, then don't go on another date with them. And if YOU liked it, then your date may not ask you out on another one. Haha. He is awesome.
There are other sub-stories: a part-time phone sex operator named Liz (Anne Hathaway) who finds her night job interfering with a budding relationship with Jason (Topher Grace); 2 strangers (Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper) who connect on a 1 hr. flight; an old couple (Hector Elizondo, Shirley MacLaine) who find out that their 50+ yr. marriage may have had some indiscretions; 2 teen couples (Taylor Swift & Taylor Lautner, Emma Roberts & Carter Jenkins) who ruminate over the pros & cons of having sex so young; and a kid (Bryce Robinson) trying to deal with his very 1st crush. All of these people try to navigate their way through the Valentine pressures (monitary & emotional), break-ups, make-ups, love, hate, heartbreak, & bliss - a day in the life of LOVE.
When films involving large casts succeed (Love Actually, most Robert Altman films), it's because the sub-stories are interesting & the myriad of characters are well-acted; despite the minimal screen time. This is not the case for almost all of the stories. I blame a fair share of the actors (who underperform), but the main issue is with the script. It forces the actors to rush/overact their portrayals because they know they only have an allotted amount of time (117 min. of story spread across 10 couples). And the sub-stories are all superficial & cliche-ridden, anyway. There are only 2 stories I 'kind of' liked: the phone sex operator & her boyfriend, & the strangers-on-the-plane scenario - and that's because Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Julia Roberts & Bradley Cooper are the most effective actors in the film, not because the stories are any good. And Hathaway, in particular, made me laugh quite a bit.
Another thing that damages this film is that the central 'story' involving (Kutcher, Alba, Garner & Dempsey). Not only are Kutcher & Alba weak, but the story itself is just so uninspired. Whenever the story came back to this foursome, momentum stalled. Now, not everything stinks in this movie. I'm sure many people will enjoy it as light entertainment. Most of the cast is attractive people doing attractive things. Some aspects are satisfactory (teen abstinence, the idea that dating best friends isn't so bad, that multi-cultural couples aren't a pre-ordained bad thing & there's even a homosexual relationship, however curt). The stories tie together in a tidy ending. And the plot is undemanding. But overall, there are just too many stories, too many characters & not enough romance or comedy. 'Valentine's Day' is too sugary, too cliche, & not smart enough to warrant anyone's full attention.
I love something that Roger Ebert says in his review of this movie: it's a First Date film. If your date liked it, then don't go on another date with them. And if YOU liked it, then your date may not ask you out on another one. Haha. He is awesome.