Valentine's Day
Plug your ears Valentine's Day cynics, there's a new V-Day movie in town. No, it isn't the overly hyped Nicholas Sparks romance, Dear John, instead this film actually has staying power. The film is oh-so-appropriately titled Valentine's Day, centering around numerous couples in the City of Angels, drudging through this crazy little thing called love.
It's difficult to say much about Valentine's Day without giving too much away. The audience is treated to the trials of young elementary school puppy love, while also getting acquainted with the trials of old love. In between, brace yourself for engagement, marriage, divorce, affairs, lies, love, attraction, lust, one night stands, complicated friendships, unwanted love, those who get burned by love and those who embrace love.
There have been some mixed reviews of Valentine's Day, and as far as I can conclude - people are just bitter about love. This film isn't meant to be the next Titanic, it's simply a fun play at the world of romance told through a cast you can really sink your teeth into.
And who doesn't love an ensemble cast like this? With the likes of (be prepared . . . extremely long cast list commencing now) Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts and Taylor Swift gracing the screen - there is never a dull moment.
Out of the outlandish cast, one star's performance outshines them all - Jessica Biel's. It was so refreshing to see her play a "girl" character in a film again. Too often Biel is cast as the rough and tumble tomboy who doesn't have an emotional bone in her body. However, that is not the case in this film, as Biel's character is in full-on "girl mode," as she plans an "I Hate Valentine's Day" party.
All in all, Valentine's Day is thoroughly entertaining - complete with a few surprises that just might shock you. That's what makes this film so quaint - most moments within it are not cliche in the least bit. You can tell that the writers genuinely tried to think outside of the box on this one, and their work paid off. Even though you only get snippets of each character's story, the plot never seems rushed. Rather, the audience feels as though it's being treated to several short stories centered around each character.
The downside? The entire movie takes place in one single day. Now, I know our lives are jam packed with drama every day, but who in this world experiences that much in one day? Ah, but that is the joy of movies - the impossible miraculously becomes entirely possible.