Valentine's Day Preview
By: Sharquita Sims |
Thursday February 04, 2010 |
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-- Love, pain and suffering; Happy Valentine’s Day! |
| It’s that time of year again, when love is in the air and romantic partners go out of their way to lavish affection toward one another with flowers and oversized teddy bears. That time of year when all the single ladies and all the single men gag at doting partners and are forced to reflect on their aching loneliness. Helmed by the director of Pretty Woman, Garry Marshall, who is known to reflect the varying facets of romance in his past romantic comedies, once again tackles the subject of love in Valentine’s Day. “Some people think Valentine’s Day is the best thing and others try to block it out. It means different things to different people. The other holidays are all clearer,” Marshall explains, adding, “Christmas, we decorate a tree, you give me a present, we sing nice songs, go home, go to bed. New Year’s Eve, you drink, you kiss at 12 o’clock, sing Auld Lang Syne and cry, go home, go to bed. That’s simple. Got it. Arbor Day…not the biggest holiday, but getting bigger because we’re all ‘going green.’ But Valentine’s Day is vague. It’s a hard holiday to define because love is so hard to define and that’s why it makes for a good story. Why not do a romantic comedy about the day we’re all concentrated on romance, and that’s ‘Valentine’s Day.’” In a story by, Katherine Fugate, Abby Kohn and March Silverstein, Valentine’s Day, tells the story of interweaving couples as they start, end or try to hold onto that special feeling, ala He’s Just Not that Into You, over the course the one romantic day. A virtual who’s who, Valentine’s Day stars a hefty cast of talents with the likes of Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Bradley Coopers, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher and Ann Hathaway. The famous names go on and on, but I’ll stop short of naming them all. Everyone likes to have their, “Oh, I didn’t know ____ was in this!” moment, and its guaranteed that there will in fact be a couple. Surely getting a cast this large to all come together at the same time would be nearly impossible. But this film has Garry Marshall.  Producer Mike Karz remarks, “We felt very fortunate to have such an extraordinary cast. But the fact that we were able to have this level of actors in the film is really a tribute to Garry Marshall and his reputation and skill. He is such a great leader and a brilliant comedian, which has been proven over and over again for decades. He is a genuinely funny guy who just knows how to deliver a joke. But, more importantly, he knows how to deliver a story.” Fellow Producer Wayne Rice agrees, “In order for any film to get made, the planets have to align,” producer Wayne Rice adds. “Certainly a lot of planets aligned for us to make this movie with such a remarkable roster of talent.” Shot entirely in and around Los Angeles, Valentine’s Day begins with a romantic note between Reed Bennet (Ashton Kutcher) and his girlfriend Morley, (Jessica Alba). He wants to marry her even though it seems she’s married to her blackberry. Their story weaves into others, as friends and co-workers find out about the surprised engagement as they all get asides to let the audience in on their own love lives, like Reed’s best friend Julia, played by Jennifer Garner, who tries to focus on her own romantic entanglements with the new love in her life, Dr. Harrison Copeland, (Patrick Dempsey). What this movie does beautifully is capture many point of views that is sure to reach someone in the audience. All of the stories are connected in some way. For instance, Julia’s young student tries to impress the girl of his dreams while he lives with his grandparents who have been together for 50 years and shell out advice to their babysitter, Grace played by up and comer, Emma Roberts. Grace wants to take things to the next level with her boyfriend and also seeks advice from her high school friend who is involved with a star athlete. They are interviewed for a news segment on young love assigned to Jamie Foxx’s Kelvin by producer portrayed by Kathy Bates. The different stories unravel throughout the day to reveal the different sides of love, heartache and happiness on a day that is either dreaded or embraced. In theaters February 12, 2010, Valentine’s Day celebrates and or laments the romantic day with you and is sure to get audiences laughing everywhere. Marshall concludes, “We hope this movie inspires some people to take a chance on a relationship and maybe even fall in love. If you’re in love it can be a wonderful thing; it’s really nice when somebody needs you. Valentine’s Day is a good day to give it a shot. But whether you’re in a relationship or not, Valentine’s Day can be stressful, so get ready.” Get ready indeed. Behind the Scenes: The Day of Love
Valentine’s Day Trailer
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