Valentine's Day

21/02/2010

Zuhaib Khan got all romantic and went to see Valentine's Day

Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway in Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day - the romance is baked right into the title. Even before I went to see this film I was expecting it to be a ‘chick flick’ and, as a guy, I wasn’t sure this would be for me but my two friends who are girls wanted to see it so I decided to go with an open mind.

Valentine’s Day, directed by Gary Marshall (Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, The Princess Diaries) stars a fistful of A-listers, including Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Eric Dane, Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner (who proves there is more to him than the werewolf Jacob Black from Twilight). Set over the course of Valentine’s Day, it follows the intertwining storylines - whether it’s a proposal, betrayal, first time sexual experience or just a hatred of the day where it sucks to be alone - of a diverse group of Los Angeles natives as they navigate their way through romance and heartbreak. The plot focuses on the experiences of singles and couples as they attempt to deal with the pinnacles and pitfalls of finding, ending or keeping relationships on a day celebrating love.

The movie starts with Reed (Kutcher) proposing to Morley (Alba) despite his friends thinking she’s out of his league. From here the movie links in the other characters as Reed is a florist who the others rely on to deliver flowers to their significant others. Throughout the movie the characters learn about themselves and re-evaluate their love lives, learning to either appreciate what they have or realise that they deserve better. There are some feel good moments if you’re into the romance genre and some unexpected surprises which keep the story moving. It could have been easy for this movie to fall apart as there is so much going on but it manages to hold itself together as all the characters are linked through ordering their flowers from Reed. The characters performances are commendable, especially Kutcher as the main character, and I particularly liked Taylor Swift’s stereotypical blonde character which added a comedy value to the movie.

Mr Kutcher & Ms Alba in Valentine's Day

There is something for everyone, whether it’s complicated love depicted by the older couples, young love displayed by Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner or Carter Jenkins and Emma Roberts or the experienced love of Shirley MacLaine or Hector Elizondo - so if you like romance this is the movie for you. Valentine’s Day topped US box offices when it was released earlier this month allowing the movie to cash in on the couples holiday. A feel good movie to go and see with your significant other or even alone but be warned, you might come out of it feeling like the character of Jessica Biel who hates being alone at this time of year and lets everyone know it.

For me, there is too much going on with too big a cast in this movie for it to be enjoyable and at times I found myself struggling to remember which two characters were together. I went with an open mind but I came out regretting the two hours I’d never get back, even my friends didn’t enjoy it. All in all, this movie wasn’t for me but that may be because, as a guy, this genre doesn’t really appeal to me. That’s not to say it’s a bad film, if you like a good chick flick then chances are you’ll like this movie.

Valentine's Day official website