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Valentine's Day (Film)
Rating: M
Running Time: 125
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway
Distributor: Roadshow
Film Worth: $11.50
Loose in narrative and light in tone, a perfectly inoffensive date movie.
Valentine's Day arrives in our cinemas just in time for the day that people either love to hate, or love to use as an excuse to shower their loved ones with cards, chocolates and flowers.
The importance of successfully delivering flowers is not lost on florist Reed Bennet (Ashton Kutcher), whom we meet on his busiest day of the year. A large ensemble cast of familiar Hollywood faces (including Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Garner) cross paths in often unexpected ways, and inhabit their characters with an energy that is hard to resist.
Despite their successful careers and well-toned physiques, most of the characters share a desire to find - or hold onto - that special someone. It is interesting to see how the characters at all stages of life and love deal with their own expectations about the day, and love itself.
The story of a young boy who confesses to being lovesick is particularly affecting, and reaches a touching and surprising resolution. Young audiences will also enjoy an appearance by currently popular teen stars Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner as two ditzy and love-struck high-schoolers.
The only problem is that the film is somewhat fragmented, appearing as a series of loosely connected vignettes with no real central narrative. It has a lot in common with Love Actually, but where the British film was perhaps darker in tone and broader in scope, Valentine's Day has no pretensions of being anything other than a crowd-pleasing, light romantic comedy.
Despite a lack of cohesion and somewhat rushed endings for some of the characters, there are plenty of genuinely funny and heart-warming moments to entertain and inspire.
Just like a surprise box of chocolates, Valentine's Day is mostly delicious, even if it may leave some in the audience wanting more.