Film Review: Valentine's Day

Love is all around..

Valentine's Day
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Topher Grace, Eric Dane, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Kathy Bates, Queen Latifah, George Lopez
Rating: (M)
4 stars (out of 5)

Reviewed by Christine Powley.

Everyone hates Valentine's Day because it is only for smug couples - unless you happen to be part of a smug couple and then it is the best day of the year.

Garry Marshall is the go-to guy for romance in Hollywood, all because he directed Pretty Woman.

In Valentine's Day (Rialto and Hoyts) he seems to be working on the principle that if one set of star-crossed lovers is box office gold, then 10 couples will rival Avatar.

The big concept here is that they wake up on February 14 thinking they know what the day will hold but as events unfold, all their expectations are overturned.

Some story strands work better than others, predicated mostly, it seems, on the personal charm of the actor in them.

So Jennifer Garner as a primary-school teacher who believes she has lucked in to relationship nirvana with a divorced doctor (Patrick Dempsey reprising his television role) is delightfully sweet. But Jessica Biel as a Valentine's phobic who meets her match in Jamie Foxx is just annoying.

Surprisingly, Valentine's Day is not that romantic a movie.

Its message is that before you fall in love you have to know the other person, which is sensible but not the sort of thing that sells millions of red roses on a single day.

Best thing: When you are following so many romantic entanglements it is impressive to leave with it all straight in your head.

Worst thing: Did we really have to follow quite so many romantic entanglements?

See it with: A huge soft toy with a red heart on its chest that says I Luv U. Just kidding, of course your boyfriend will be keen to see this with you.