Film review - Valentine's Day

I took my 12 year old daughter to see this yesterday (yes, on Valentine's Day). It's fun if you watch it in a "spot the star" kind of way - it's jam packed with famous names and faces (e.g. Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts - as a soldier, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah, Anne Hathaway and so on).

For those allergic to romance be warned - the first proposal occurs within about two minutes. And whilst the "I hate Valentine's Day" dinner scene is there for sad single women, not surprisingly everyone finds a happy (with a partner) ending.

It's a thinly disguised US remake of the much adored, though cheesey UK hit "Love Actually" but without the subtlety - or a plot. Well, there is a bit of a plot. Ashton Kutcher (the first time I've thought he was anything other than Mrs Demi Moore) - who wears a pink tee-shirt throughout as he owns a florist - has his marriage proposal rejected by his blonde mega-girlfriend with a career - and sets off to warn his best buddy about her (unknown to her) married boyfriend before she makes a fool of herself turning up as a surprise.

The film attempts to reach across all nationalities and minorities - there's an Indian wedding, chinese flower sellers, Mexican happy couple, kids in love with their teacher, grandparents in love with each other (played dutifully by the wonderful Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo), fierce business women (Queen Latifer - 'Bipolar Paula' - and Kathy Bates), gay sports hero coming out, there were even a couple of dogs (I admired the Border Collie but my daughter liked the French Bulldog)...so something for everyone?

Even the Twilight generation will be happy to see Taylor Lautner (with his shirt on sadly) and his real-life girlfriend Taylor Swift (is she like that in real life?) promoting the "abstinence" message along with the other 18 year olds in the film.

There are a number of laugh out loud moments. I liked the tap dancing weather girl (Pippy Longstocking). And the attack on the heart shaped pinata was really good. The naked guy behind a guitar generated hoots of glee too. And the revenge of the cheated-on girlfriend as a waitress while husband and wife have dinner was genius. And the soundtrack was OK too - with some great tunes - especially Jamie Foxx doing "I will survive".

It pokes fun at the American (Los Angeles) commerciality of St Valentine's Day and there are lots of sub-plots which attempt to combine at the end - but a bit predictably. A strong case for British comedy beating US attempts...