Valentine’s Day (2010)
Valentine’s Day is slowly approaching, so what better way to get in the mood than by watching the film of the same name! If you haven’t already seen it then Valentine’s Day follows a number of characters over the course of the actual day, as they go through make-ups and break-ups all due to the pressure that this ‘special’ day brings.
The cast is a mix of old and young, with some well-known faces as well as some maybe less-known, but every character is well-crafted and are linked in some way or another. You never feel like there are too many characters, and it is easy to follow every individual’s story and relate to a few of them yourself. I guess the ‘main’ character would be Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher), as the florist who proposes to his girlfriend at the beginning of the film, only to find her packing her bags and sneaking out the house a little later in the morning. We then watch Reed struggle through this romantic day when he has just experienced heart break, but don’t worry he finds happiness by the end!
As well as Reed’s story we meet two teenagers who have arranged to have sex for the first time during their lunch break; a young boy desperate to give flowers to the love of his life; a Captain in the US Army (Julia Roberts) who is flying home on her one-day leave in order to see her love even though they will only be together a few hours; an elderly couple (Hector Elizondo & Shirley MacLaine) facing the troubles of a long marriage; and Taylor Swift even has a part too (but don’t let that put you off!). There are many more characters and their stories in the film, all of which are played by brilliant actors and actresses (Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah & Bradley Cooper to name a few more!).
The film tackles all themes linking to romance from first love to unrequited love to being cheated on. There is laughter throughout and you will most definitely shed a few tears toward the end, it is a brilliant film and at the time it came out the multiple characters over one day was a new premise for us viewers. It is still a rare thing to find in cinema but of course there has been the successful follow up to this: New Year’s Eve (2011) which as you can probably guess, follows a group of people gearing up for the New Year. (Definitely a film you should watch too!).
Overall, Valentine’s Day is a lovely film which can bring something to everyone, and even if you’re single you can still enjoy it without feeling lonely and depressed! Last year I spent the evening of Valentine’s with 3 of my closest friends, plenty of chocolate and ice-cream and this film, and we had a great night!
