Jennifer Garner, left, and Ashton Kutcher are two of the many stars in "Valentine's Day."
MOVIE REVIEW
It's got the roses, the dinner dates and, yes, it's even got the candy. And, almost as if playing Cupid himself, director Garry Marshall spreads the sentiments of love amongst all of Hollywood — well, almost all of it, as it seems that practically every A-list actor or actress stars in Marshall's latest big screen hit, "Valentine's Day."
The day of candy hearts, overpriced flowers and often exaggerated public displays of affection is unveiled as the annual celebration of Feb. 14 unfolds in present-day Los Angeles.
Although somehow all converging in the end, the film opens in a bit of confusion. The intertwining subplots are perhaps to divert the audience's attention from the cliché romantic comedy's plot, in which best friends fall in love with the wrong ones before falling for each other.
Though attempting to avoid the clichés, "Valentine's Day" cannot completely get away from them. It tells the stories of many stock characters — the military woman (Julia Roberts) who just wants to be with her loved one, even if only for a few hours; the star football player and his agent (Eric Dane and Jessica Biel); the aspiring sports reporter (Jamie Foxx) who is forced to do a feature about, you guessed it, Valentine's Day; and the middle-aged married couple (Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo) that finds out their marriage has not actually been as spotless as they had thought it to be.
We want to scream at elementary school teacher Julia (Jennifer Garner) and tell her that her new doctor boyfriend (Patrick Dempsey) is (obviously) hiding the fact that he is happily married and has a family. We want to warn flower salesman Reed (Ashton Kutcher) not to propose to his career-obsessed girlfriend (Jessica Alba), because she is (obviously) not the one for him. But no, we watch them and cheer them on through their growing pains, even though we most likely can predict what will happen before it does.
But what is it that makes an otherwise boring, sappy, and predictable movie script a box office smash hit? What is it that causes us to continue to watch them struggle (thanks to their naiveté) for two hours?
It's the expertise. It's the appeal. It's the cast.
The attempt to connect to the lives of its audience is a somewhat inconspicuous tactic utilized in Marshall's film, and the implementation of an all-star cast makes this base-hit film into a home run. We would not often consider the struggles and beauties of Valentine's Day through the perspective of a fifth-grader which happens to be another subplot, but the holiday-haters can certainly identify with the "I hate Valentine's Day" party that Kara (Biel) holds. Many of us would gladly trade places with Julia and similarly use a baseball bat to relieve frustration by pulverizing a heart piñata.
Though definitely a break from special effects and action, the sometimes crude yet comedic elements kept our focus throughout the film. We can't help but laugh when Felicia and Willy (Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner) declare they are "so totally in love." It is certainly an awkward but comical situation when one character's mother returns unexpectedly to her home during the day only to find her teenage daughter's boyfriend in her daughter's room attempting to create a romantic atmosphere.
Though an overall amusing film, 'Valentine's Day' is not all fun and games. With a plot similar to that of "Love Actually," characters face the struggles of finding love, and once they do find it, the struggle to keep it. Some will succeed; others won't. We cheer when the good guys find love and still cheer when the bad guys don't. There is also a sentimental component that warms our hearts by highlighting the relationships between families, specifically that between a mother and her child.
Perhaps initially propelled by its timely release, "Valentine's Day" is a film worth watching at any time of year, thanks to its versatile cast.
Marshall gives us what we love: actors who flaunt their proficiency and give an otherwise boring, predictably sappy romance the likeability factor.