Valentine’s Day is a movie made for one specific purpose: to make as much money as possible on Valentine’s Day weekend. And the movie has a crowded cast full of big actors including Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, etc. I think you get the point and I still left out some big names. So this movie has an attraction with its theme and it’s cast, but that is all Valentine’s Day has and it’s not much.
I cannot even explain the plot of this movie because there is so much going on. But in simple terms, the movie is about one day and several relationships where people cross each other’s paths. Some love Valentines and others do not. All of these characters have something going on as far as dating, cheating, being cheated on, holding secrets, and finding and losing love. Do not worry about age because every age group is represented in this movie. From fifth graders and teenagers to grandparents and everyone in between. By midnight all of these storylines are wrapped up and have an ending and most of them are happy ones. Isn’t that sweet.
This movie reminds me of He’s Just Not That Into You from 2009. There are stories about several people, but Valentine’s Day has bigger names and a lot more of them. This may seem like a blessing, however, it is a curse. Now Valentine’s Day is better than the other one, but that’s not saying much since He’s Just Not That Into You was one of the worst movies I saw last year.
Let’s quit comparing movies and let’s explain why having such a huge, talented cast is a curse. All of these actors do not have enough material and substance to show off their talents. I would say Ashton Kutcher is your main character along with Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway. The supporting cast is Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel and Topher Grace. The rest were just names to put on a poster. Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper barely have any time to do anything. Kathy Bates is in two scenes. That’s it. And the relationship between Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift is so lame it makes you feel stupid after watching them act stupid.
There is just so much going on that you cannot invest in any of the characters and right when one storyline seems interesting they take you to another one. By the time the audience gets back to the interesting plot again, you have lost that interest you once had. Basically, the movie is all over the place and almost is a complete mess. And Garry Marshall should have known better than trying to cram all of these themes together because everything gets lost in the chaos.
Let’s end on a positive note. There are some characters that will surprise you and there a couple of twists that are pretty good. The performances aren’t bad either, but very few get to really perform. The better half of them just get to show their face so you know they are in it. Valentine’s Day will be a hit this weekend. There is no question about it. Every girl will take their boyfriend to see it and it will make a ton of money. But once people see it then that will be it. By next weekend, the day and the movie will be long forgotten.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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