Valentine's Day

Saturday evening went to see the anticipated chick-flick of the season, Valentine's Day, directed by Gary Marshall.

Though it falls within the Chick-Flick genre, the film does not follow the long held chick flick formula (guy meets girl; they fall in love; something comes between them; the make up right at the end). No, this movie follows a more rare but attractive format similar to that of "Love Actually," "Crash," or "He's just not that into you."

This plot approach intertwines a number of different stories that seemingly have no connection. Of these four, Crash is definitely the best at this.

Valentine's Day shows the stories of half a dozen or more couples' expereinces during one February 14th. From a young teenage couple wrestling with whether or not to take their relationship to "the next level," to a V-Day proposal, to strained homosexual love, the movie shows a variety of relationships. However, one criticism I have for the film is the lack of interconnectedness of the stories.

I praise the movie for the cast. Though the acting never progresses beyond semi-serious and spends a lot of time in the 'just plain silly' category (thinking of Taylor Swift), the variety of recognizable cast members makes it lots of fun for the audience. Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, Jacob Black (I mean, Taylor Lautner), Jessica Biel and Alba, and George Lopez all share screen time with a number of name-able others.

I appreciated the short history of V-Day that was included in the movie.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. Then Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.

All-in-all, I give the movie a 6.5 out of 10. It you're looking for make-your-wife/girlfriend/other-happy with mindless feel good love stories, this is your movie. But otherwise, I'm guessing the movie was an easy throw-together to make Hollywood some quick bucks during this "holiday." I wouldn't recommend paying theater prices, but it is definitely recommended for a cozy Friday evening by the fireplace with your sweety.