I’m very proud to say that this movie review will be a positive one, and one that I can answer for. I just saw Gary Marshall’s Valentine’s Day.
Let’s set the bar at the proper height here. This is not an Oscar contender. The plot is light, and the very few surprises will be predictable for the advanced moviegoer.
What it is meant to do, is make you smile and tug at your heartstrings a bit. It will accomplish that if you’re willing to let go of yourself. It’s sappy, it’s corny, it’s cute and yes, I had fun watching it.
There are several stories in the movie, and only a few develop into something deeper. Ashton Kutcher is a florist who proposes to his girlfriend, with his flower shop serving to intersect many of the movie plots. Jennifer Garner is a school teacher dealing with betrayal. Jamie Foxx is a sports broadcaster forced to do a fluffy piece about Valentines’ Day. Anne Hathaway plays an agent’s assistant with an interesting side job.
There’s lots more characters of course, but for the most part the plots are short. There are a few twists at the end that can be anticipated from the beginning. On the other hand, if you didn’t expect any twists you will be pleasantly surprised.
Blah, blah… okey enough. Let’s get to what we all want to know. Don’t worry, no spoliers here.
Taylor Swift’s character is Felicia, and no she’s not a cheerleader but a member of the dance team (you will see… ). If you haven’t figured it by now from the trailer, Felicia is a goofy airhead. Her scenes are distributed throughout the movie. Do not arrive late, do not leave early.
Her appearances are all memorable and all of them funny. They’re not long but it’s definitely more than a cameo. She is hilarious and if you can’t help but crack a smile at her performance you are dead to me. Both her and Taylor Lautner have inside jokes that only fans of both stars will get. Taylor (the curly one!) has more lines than Taylor (the athletic one). A few times I laughed at her expression only.
She appears a lot more than what reviews have had you believe, and when she does she’s a breeze of fresh air. Of course I may be biased here (nooo! really?), but she does more than a decent job and you can’t help but miss her when her scenes end. Don’t worry she’ll be back.
If you’ve seen the trailers and previews you will notice the final version has been edited and some scenes are cut. However there are some new scenes, albeit short, that have not been revealed. There’s funny outtakes with the beginning of the credits so don’t leave the theater in a rush.
You will hear Today is a Fairytale sometime before the end, as well as in the credits. Jump Then Fall is only in the credits. Both figure in the movie soundtrack.
I strongly recommend it to any Taylor Swift fan. It’s a funny light comedy that has a lot of enjoyable moments 🙂
(Source: New Line Cinema)
The Swift Agency 