Valentine's Day
Genre: Romance
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Julia Roberts, Anna Hathaway, Topher Grace, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Eric Dane, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Carter Jenkins, George Lopez, Jamie Foxx, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Queen Latifah
Storyline: About a dozen love stories rolled into one
Ups: This dream cast alone is worth every rupee of your ticket. If you are a sucker for romance, you might die of an overdose. In the Hollywood tradition of ensemble romantic comedies this time of the year, here's another one that employs multiple narratives of people who are all strangely connected ( Love Actually , He's Just Not That Into You ). Valentine's Day takes a closer look at romance and related issues spanning different generations and it's a mixed bag. Some stories work and though most of them are predictable, they all come together rather nicely, especially, if you are in the mood for love. The pick of the lot is the story of the little boy who orders a dozen roses (that cost $55) with all the change he has ($13) and the amused florist (Ashton Kutcher in pink) takes his order anyway. There's this priceless moment when the door of the florist's delivery van gives way after an accident and many of the bouquets are run over by traffic — and at least temporarily — you suspend all those thoughts about Valentine's Day and its evil streak of consumerism and feel for those unexpressed emotions lying scattered on the road. But it's also one of those films that feels as much for those who have been betrayed by love. When one of them beats the hell out of a furry pink heart with a baseball bat, you might just cheer.
Downs: You get very little of each story, just the threadbare essentials of the plot as every story unfolds more or less the same way. Introduce a seemingly perfect couple, then the problem, give them all scenes to brood on and introspect and reunite the deserving ones. You can see every twist coming from a mile away. Barring the story of Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper who play strangers on a flight, every other story plays out with a strong sense of déjà vu of having been there, seen that before.
Bottomline: You may love or hate Valentine's Day but you just might like the film. The perfect date film this season.
