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Parents' Guide to

Valentine

By Ellen MacKay, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Poorly made and just stupid.

Movie R 2001 95 minutes
Valentine Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Jk12345
Jk12345 Adult
June 27, 2017
age 15+

Great, scary intelligent!!!!

A scary, sexual slasher my suggested rating Rated R for strong horror violence, sexuality, and for some strong language

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
October 18, 2012
age 18+

Not impressed.

This movie is very cliche, nothing new or interesting about it. Just your typical slasher horror film but also combines comedy which didn't work for me. It seemed unbalanced and the acting was cheesy. Girls act ditzy. It started off promising, with the theme of a nerd who gets rejected by every girl except one girl who is also disguised as a nerd. He comes back years later to murder those who rejected him. Could've been better because the storyline is actually a good idea, just poorly portrayed in this film. Would not recommend anyone under 18...lots of sexual situations, drinking and violence.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When her childhood friend Shelly (Katherine Heigl) is murdered, Kate (Marley Shelton) and her other longtime girlfriends begin receiving terrifying Valentine's Day cards. The girls wonder if the killer and card-sender is Jeremy, a boy they teased. The killer strikes again and again, and while the police investigator focuses on other suspects, Kate continues to try to find out more about Jeremy.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (6 ):

VALENTINE pulls no punches; this is a movie that never pretends to be interested in anything other than sex and violence. But horror fans who can discriminate between this dull, sexist material and finer examples of the genre will feel ripped off. So poorly made is this movie that it can't even follow its own conventions. When the first girl dies in a way described by her Valentine card, one would think the rest of the victims would follow suit. But the killer soon forgets what he wrote to his victims, and even loses track of who it is he (or she?) is out to kill. Anyone in the vicinity is a possible target.

Moreover, the women under attack are a shallow bunch, more into showing off their sexual conquests and horning in on each other's boyfriends than demonstrating any real empathy for one another. The central character, Kate, is unique in her apparently genuine love for her long-time boyfriend, but her compassion for his alcoholism turns out to be a plot device--and one that doesn't add much to this already muddled movie. In the end, there's no one to like, so there's not much lost when virtually everyone bites the dust.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what makes a good horror film. Does more gore always mean a better film, or can suspense be just as scary? Do plot consistency and character development matter?

Movie Details

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