The Chanticleer

Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Let's do some configuring, shall we? Try to keep up.
Let's start off with a story written by Katherine Fugate (writer and creator of Lifetime's "Army Wives") and directed by Garry Marshall (who directed shows such as "Happy Days", "Mork and Mindy" and movies including "Princess Bride" and "Pretty Woman"). Then let's cram in every big name celebrity we can afford; twenty-two big names to be exact. Older, more prestigious names, like Julia Roberts and Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, right alongside up-and-coming actors like Taylor Lautner and Topher Grace. Make sure to have plenty of sex appeal. Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Beil, Jamie Foxx. Check, check, and check. Oh and let's through in Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey and thirteen other beautiful people for good measure (wait a minute, who let George Lopez in here?) Then when we have all of these ingredients together, let's Saran Wrap it all up in flowers and chocolate. Do you know what we get when we put all these elements together? That's right, "Valentine's Day".
"Valentine's Day" is a light-hearted romantic comedy that follows the lives of several, and I mean several, people as they live though the many ups-and-downs of February the 14th.
Like any good romantic-comedy, there has to be an even balance of fun and fuzz; love and laughter, serious romantic issues and goofy, silly hilarity.
"Valentine's Day" has a hardy dose of romantic drama. There are several types of relationships being portrayed. Between the break-ups, proposals, broken hearts, and occasional surprise plot twists, this movie has enough drama to satisfy most any die-hard romantic.
When it comes to the fun side of "Valentine's Day", the tank's not quite full. A lot of the jokes and one-liners fall flat. Of course, there are funny parts, but I could tell the movie was meant to be a lot funnier than it was.
I, personally, feel like a lot of the laughs were rushed or skimmed over by the film's swift pace.
Such a rapid, hurried pace was required in order to let all twenty-two main characters have their time on camera. The film is constantly bouncing from character, to character, to character, never giving us a chance to settle down and connect with any of them. Only a handful of characters get a real chance to develop and show true emotional depth, while others are hastily portrayed as one-dimensional and flat. For example, Queen Latifah is a no-nonsense black woman in charge (like always) and George Lopez is the witty, fast talking Spanish sidekick (ditto).
The film's plot can only be described as a tangled, twisted web of storylines, so intricately woven that you rather stick with it, or get lost trying.
With such a robust plot, it's easy to lose track or forget some key detail. It's especially easy near the end of the film, when all the pieces begin to fall into place. Despite these issues, I was impressed with the ending. "Valentine's Day" has a solid conclusion; where all the loose ends are tied up in both fulfilling and surprising ways.
Overall, "Valentine's day" does a pretty good job, considering the load that it took on. Trying to make a normal romantic comedy is hard enough when it's about two people, imagine multiplying that by 11. The film's strong point is also its weak point. The large cast and complex story makes for intricate storytelling; although, some viewers might get lost and several of the comedic elements are muddled.
Like I said earlier, try to keep up, and you'll be fine.

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