The new hit movie Valentine’s Day showcases love in different shapes, sizes but most importantly, different ages. Katherine Fugate, director of the romantic classic Pretty Woman, creates a forgettable film about the holiday that people either love to love or love to hate.
With an A-list cast of big-name celebrities including Julia Roberts, Queen Latifah, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx and Jessica Alba, the film struck big with $52.4 million its opening weekend. However, the actors do little to save the plot.
The movie Valentine’s Day is extremely sporadic with a storyline that lacks character development. With such a large cast, each actor gets about five minutes of screenplay. The easiest way to understand the movie is by breaking up the many romantic subplots by age groups.
The children’s section includes Bryce Robinson, who plays Edison, a child who tries to cope with his schoolboy crush and win her over with more effort than most his age.
Teenagers capture the essence of infatuation, with the typical teenage love story portrayed by actor Taylor Lautner and singer Taylor Swift. An example of the poorly written script is seen in Lautner’s scene, where he refuses to take his shirt off in public and proves far from hilarious. As for Swift, the Grammy-winning country starlet belongs behind a microphone and not the big screen. The film also shows the other side of teen romance as depicted in the mature relationship between Emma Roberts and Carter Jenkins, who make the decision to postpone having sex.
The main love story centers on Ashton Kutcher, a sensitive florist who realizes that the love of his life, Jessica Alba, does not feel the same way about him as she does her career. Kutcher’s best buddy, Jennifer Garner dwells on a potential romance with Patrick Dempsey, the conniving doctor.
Audiences also discover that the characters played by Anne Hathaway and Bradley Cooper have unexpected secrets. Fugate tops the film off with Jessica Biel’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Party, where she finds her shared hatred of the holiday in the comedic sports reporter played by Jamie
Foxx.
Grandparents will also take interest in the film with the couple portrayed by Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine, who take unconditional love to a new level. Julia Robert’s heartwarming role really gives viewers something to “aw” about in the end.
However, it is Queen Latifah, who plays the sassy boss, who steals the show with her punch lines.
The film succeeds in showing that love does not discriminate by age, but the storyline behind Valentine’s Day will keep audiences wanting more. It is a lighthearted attempt to poke fun at a controversial holiday, not a blockbuster romance.
Just in time for Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day is the ideal movie for those who simply want to see all their favorite actors in one movie. The formula for any successful romance movie should be that less is always more.
