The Film
What do you get when you combine multiple major stars under one film? Usually a box-office bomb. In this case? A real stink bomb. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
Thanks to a February 14 release weekend, Valentine's Day actually made a decent chunk of change cashing in on the date movie crowd -- enough to actually spawn an upcoming sequel. As we all know, though, you can coat poo in chocolate, but it doesn't make it any sweeter.
The good and the bad about Valentine's Day boils down to its all-star cast. While this star power surely put a ton of butts into seats, it should turn an equal amount of viewers away. It's fun to see Jamie Foxx, Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine and endless other big names parade through the film, but that's basically all you get -- a parade. It's a case of too many cooks spoiling the movie. Instead of actually developing an interest in any of the characters, each one is rushed through every scene, like they need to make some kind of star quota during the film's 125-minute runtime.
The one thing we expected from Valentine's Day was a pretty picture. There is some ooh and aah, but like the holiday itself, the image never quite lives up to the expectations. There are tons of flowers, pretty L.A. skylines and vivid red outfits. For some reason though, the 1.85:1 transfer doesn't provide much pop. Also, the detail just isn't all that great. It won't anger you, but for such perky subject matter, New Line could have done a lot better.
The Sound
Aside from the typical rom-com soundtrack, which here includes Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Glen Miller, Percy Sledge, Foreigner, star Taylor Swift, and others, the movie is all dialogue. The DTS-HD Master Audio track delivers that and a few other ambient sounds very well. It's certainly not a reason to buy this release, but it's one of the few reasons you won't have to bash it.
The Extras
Like day-old Valentine's Day roses, these extras wilt pretty quickly. Aside from deleted scenes and bloopers, only one featurette includes the all-star cast, and that's a quickie six-and-a-half minutes of the actors talking about Valentine's Day. To say it's fluffy crap is being kind. It provides no insight to the movie, the casting, the actors, of even what the actors really think about Valentine's Day. One of the clips is actually just Julia Roberts doing her Julia Roberts cackle. Does anyone still think that's enchanting? Even the almost-3-minute peek at the Sex and the City sequel had more meat to it. Other features include auto resume and a digital copy.
Final Thoughts
To many, Valentine's Day is just a Hallmark holiday. Thanks to a sappy plot, a disappointing image, and barely-there sound, this release is certainly not going to change anyone's mind. In fact, it just may put you in a fighting mood. One of the plotlines involves Jessica Biel's character organizing an annual "I Hate Valentine's Day" party. It sounds like she saw the movie as well.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
