VALENTINE'S DAY **

Garry Marshall directed this  Romantic Comedy starring: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift.  SEE PREVIEW  Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity. Running time is two hours and five minutes.


Follows the intertwining storylines of a group of Los Angelinos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day.

This is a picture that will do well this weekend no matter what any reviewer says. It's is an amiable enough film, with a few laughs scattered throughout. But, the very thing that makes it interesting, the humongous cast, is the thing that gives it problems. It's hard to focus on a character or plot thread when so many are doing so much. You never get to know any character well and for me, that kept me from getting involved in the story. Plus, this is a little lengthy for a light comedy and I was getting bored before it was over. My wife watched this with me and enjoyed it much more than I did. She said she would have given it ***. It will do just fine for a Valentine's Day date movie but I'll be surprised if it hangs around for many weeks after. There are a few outtakes during the end credits that are amusing so you may want to stay a few minutes longer than usual.