Available on DVD, Blu-Ray and for download 5/18
When Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Psycho was marketed, it was cleverly disguised that the Janet Leigh was going to die in the first 1/3 of the movie and that Norman Bates…well, I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it. It was told to theater-goers not to tell anyone the secret ending. Why did I tell this story? Because of this–no one realizes this, but the marketing team behind Valentine’s Day did cracker-jack job worthy of any Alfred Hitchcock movie.
The plot of Valentine’s Day is simple enough–the film follows several people in several different points in their lives making it through Valentine’s Day. Also, this film has 13 of the biggest stars in Hollywood, including Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Kathy Bates, and Shirley MacLaine just to name a few. That’s all I’m going to say about the plot because, as I alluded to, there are some big plotpoints that don’t need to be spoiled.
I’m sure you’re like, “This is a chick flick! How many twists and turns can there be?” A lot. More than you think are going to happen. Patrick Dempsey, for example, is usually typecast as the sensitive, good-looking man. Bradley Cooper is currently in the action flick, The A-Team and is usually cast in male comedies, particularly, The Hangover. Don’t expect them to be typecast in this film.
These small tweaks, along with the intersecting storylines, makes the film fun and, oddly enough, suspenseful. Granted, some of the twists you can expect, like football player Sean Jackson (Eric Dane) admitting that he’s gay. But still, these turns make the film a much more elevated thing than just the typical “chick flick”.
Highlights of the DVD are the deleted scenes section, which includes commentary by director Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman) contains enough scenes to make a separate movie, as well as a sneak peek of Sex and the City 2. More special features are in the Blu-Ray combo pack, which includes the aforementioned as well as a gag reel, and featurettes “The Garry Factor”, “The Stars Confess Their Valentine’s Day Stories”, Jewel’s “Stay Here Forever” music video, audio commentary, and the standard definition version of the film with a digital copy. This DVD (priced at $28.98) comes out on DVD Tuesday, May 18. It’ll also be available for download and as a Blu-Ray combo pack (priced at $35.99). Also, check out the official Valentine’s Day site at www.valentinesdaymovie.com. If you had a crappy Valentine’s Day this year, this film will make you feel a whole lot better.
[...] probably one of the few people that gave Valentine’s Day a glowing review, but one thing that made me like the movie upon retrospect was the fact that there were no clumsy, [...]