MyRating: YYYDirector: Garry Marshall
Cast: 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, Taylor Swift
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity
US Gross: US$ 110.5 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 213.0 Million
Following the spirit of Love Actually (2003) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009), Garry Marshall, the director who gave us Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and The Princess Diaries, is back to direct a stellar cast movie about the love stories of a diverse group of people living in Los Angeles in one of the most celebrated days on earth, the Valentine's Day.
The stories are told in the intertwining way and through the interconnections that the characters have with each other. It's a complicated world of love. There is Ashton Kutcher, a florist who proposes his girlfriend, Jessica Alba, on Valentine's Day to marry him, but the girlfriend somehow doesn't ready for such a commitment. And Jennifer Garner, who falls in love with a married guy, Patrick Dempsey, but doesn't know that the guy is married. While Kutcher & Garner are best friends, but they do not realize the love they grow for each other since a long time. There is also Topher Grace, who falls in love with a sweet beautiful girl, Anne Hathaway, but doesn't know that she has a side job as a phone-sex entertainer. And there is Julia Roberts, an army captain, who gets a companionship with a charming guy, Bradley Cooper, on their plane back to Los Angeles. Then there is Jamie Foxx, a sports journalist who hates Valentine's Day, but gets a task to cover a story about that day. He shares the same feeling with Jessica Biel, who always feels lonely on Valentine's Day. She is a publicist of a famous football quarterback, Eric Dane, who is in the brink of his retirement age from football, but the man has to share a shocking announcement about his relationship to the world. There is also Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine, an old happy couple who love each other, but one of them has a past secret that may ruin their relationship. And a young couple, Emma Roberts and Carter Jenkins, who are about to have their first sex experience in their 18's. And their best friends, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner, who prefer to wait for their first sex. All these relationships coloring the same Valentine's Day. Some relationships will burst with romantic and happy feelings, but others will end with heartbreaks and sad endings.
I want to hate this movie like many other critics did, but I can't, because again I do not think that this movie is bad. In fact, I like it. Actually I have a feeling that I might like it, since I liked He's Just Not That Into You, a beautiful movie, even though I was not very crazy about Love Actually.
The story was good and interesting enough. It was nicely told even with so many characters and storylines, and it did not disturb the story, because every character just contributed something in the story, even the small one. I don't think any of the casts were wasted here. And I think Garry Marshall succeeded in directing this movie, even though with so many characters, he could keep the story moved smoothly and enjoyable to watch.
The character that I like the most was Ashton Kutcher. Never a fan of him, but his character is really sweet and sympathetic here. And the character I dislike the most was Jessica Alba, with her unsympathetic character, not a good acting too. Taylor Swift, the new country pop star sweetheart, gave an interesting debut in this movie as a somewhat dumb school girl (No, the character was purposely written to look dumb, not the actress, Taylor Swift is a very talented singer). She shows a rough acting though and a bit overacting at some points. But that's okay, every actor/actress has their rough times in their debuts.
I enjoyed this movie as the way it was. It was a nice movie. The bountiful cast even made it more fun to watch. If you are a fan of romantic movies, I don't think that this one will disappoint you. (MJ)
