Young Love: Full of Promise, Full of Hope, Ignorant of Reality

Valentine’s Day is a polarizing holiday, well mostly for women. If they are in a relationship, they love it; if not they hate it and hate everyone that is celebrating. Guys on the other had hate it if they are in a relationship, will those that are not could have thee day pass and not even know it. And Valentine’s Day the movie (out today on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download) may be just as polarizing where female loving romantic comedies will eat up this star studded affair while the boyfriends they make them watch will just be happy it isn’t as bad as He’s Just Not That into You.

The movie runs every gambit of love from school boy crush to young love (Taylors Swift and Lautner), couples ready to take the next step (Emma Roberts), a new relationship (Anne Hathaway and Topher Grace), a longer one (Jenifer Garner and Patrick Dempsey),a long distance love (Julia Roberts), the newly engaged (Jessica Alba and Ashton Kutcher), the old married couple (Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo), a guy ready to find love (Eric Dane) and yes there are even the woman who hates the holiday because she doesn’t have a date (Jessica Biel) and a pair of guys that could care less the holiday is happening because they are not in a relationship (Jamie Foxx and Bradley Cooper). Also in the cast playing auxiliary roles to those in or about to find love include Kathy Bates, Queen Latifah, George Lopez.

Naturally, like the more entertaining Love, Actually, all the players end up interacting in each other’s storyline but what it misses is the heart where you actually care about a bulk of the cast. Oh yeah, and it misses on the second half of the romantic comedy equation but that is what happens when you can based on a pretty face (Alba and Biel should consider leaving the genre altogether) instead of legitimate comedians of which there are only two unless you count Larry Miller who makes a cameo and Jamie Foxx’s camerman (Foxx plays a sports reporters who is forced to be a man on the street asking about Valentine’s Day) who has a few good laugh even if half were reduced to the Delete Scenes section.

Also Hathaway shows that she should return to the genre more often as her storyline was by far the most entertaining. And there are some other hilarious moments including the Taylors at track practice where Lautner has a run in with a huddle (which was supposed to be funny) and Swift’s running style (which I am not sure was supposed to be funny but was anyway), then the younger Robert’s boyfriend has maybe the funniest scene I the movie while Lopez and Foxx rattle off a few good one liners. But for a movie that runs just over two hours, you should expect more than five big laughs through the film.

The blu-ray (which comes in a combo pack with the DVD and a digital copy) is pretty thin in the bonus feature department. There are your usual blooper real (which half is less bloopers and more the crew snapping the time marker but it does lead to a funny call back to a previous Garry Marshall flick) and audio commentary (which is mildly entertaining because Marshall oversells almost everything). And for all you ladies out there, there is also an extended sneak peek at the new Sex in the City 2 movie. There are also two short featurettes with stars talking about their Valentine’s Day experiences and other about working with Marshall along with a music video from Jewel. But the twenty minute deleted scenes with introduction from Marshall are worth checking including a bit where Foxx interviews Denver Nugget’s Chris Anderson in a tattoo parlor and a PSA featuring Dwight Howard and Penny Marshall (yes, Garry cut his own sister out of his movie).



Full Disclosure Notice: This Blu-Ray was given to me on behalf of Warner Brothers Entertainment for the sole purpose of reviewing the movie.