Valentine's Day Movie Poster Image

Valentine's Day

age 15+
(i)

 

Mushy ensemble romcom sticks to formula; some sexy stuff.
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  • Review Date: February 11, 2010
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Romance
  • Release Year: 2010
  • Running Time: 90 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

Though the film portrays many kinds of love, there's a particular emphasis on romantic love, and those who lack it seem bereft. One portrayal of mature love, though needing exploration, is surprisingly complex.

Positive role models

There’s a liar in the mix, but for the most part, the characters here are decent people striving for love and connectedness.

Violence
Not applicable
Sex

Two teens discuss their plans to meet at lunch and have sex for the first time. The teenage boy is shown naked, with a guitar hiding his genitals. Couples kiss, sometimes in bed wearing little clothing; women’s legs peek out from beneath bedcovers. One character works as a phone-sex attendant, and viewers hear her raunchy conversations. A married man cheats on his wife, and his girlfriend has no clue that he’s "taken." A man is shown getting out of the shower and walking around in a towel.

Language

A sprinkling of “bitch,” “ass,” “moron,” and “hell,” and the occasional “s--t.” Several uses of "God" as an exclamation.

Consumerism

It’s hard not to notice that many characters are toting BlackBerrys. ESPN is name-dropped.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Social drinking by adult characters.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Valentine's Day is an ensemble romantic comedy from director Garry Marshall -- which stars everyone from Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, and Anne Hathaway to teen faves Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift -- that features relationships in various stages, from sweet childhood crushes and hormone-driven teen matchups to confusing adult connections and mature, enduring love. Characters kiss, teens talk about having sex, unmarried couples are seen in bed together, and a man cheats on his wife. There’s a sense that you're incomplete without a partner, and that finding true love isn’t easy – and yet everything has a fairy-tale feel in the end. Expect some swearing (including "s--t") and a few raunchy conversations.

What's the story?

It’s Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles, and depending on your circumstances, it’s either a day of delight or dread. Florist Reed (Ashton Kutcher) starts the day by proposing to his girlfriend (Jessica Alba), and everyone is amazed that she says yes. His best friend, Julia (Jennifer Garner), a teacher, wants to surprise her doctor boyfriend (Patrick Dempsey), who says he has to work. Meanwhile, a soldier (Julia Roberts) on a short break from Iraq is flying home to see her special someone; her seatmate (Bradley Cooper) tries to puzzle her out. And a phone-sex purveyor (Anne Hathaway) is falling in love with a colleague at her day job (Topher Grace), who knows nothing about her other gig, while a professional athlete (Eric Dane) wonders what’s next now that his contract is up. For them -- and for many others -- it’s make-or-break time.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

If anyone can make a great romantic comedy, director Garry Marshall -- whose credits include Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries -- is it. In many ways, VALENTINE’S DAY has many of the signature Marshall touches: the sweetly satisfying moments between new lovers (certainly evident in the Hathaway-Grace pairing), the fluid storytelling, the sense of humor. But a few perfect moments do not a perfect movie make. It may end up being a crowd pleaser, but it's hyper-engineered to the hilt and ends up feeling packaged and crowded with marquee names and made-for-the-tabloids matchups. (Taylors Swift and Lautner, that’s you.)

What ultimately makes love such a compelling topic is its mysterious, ineffable quality, and there’s none of that jazz-improv magic here. Kutcher and Garner’s storyline, though traditional in its unraveling, feels most satisfying. (Marshall makes the most of Kutcher’s man-boy charms, and the actor steps up his game.) Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine’s comes second, but their plot doesn’t really have room to unspool. Some picking and pruning would’ve made for a more stunning bouquet; it’s all baby’s breath and red roses -- the expected stuff -- as it stands.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about what Valentine’s Day means, if anything. Is it really manufactured, and does it make people who aren’t with someone on that day feel bad? Can it be a chance to focus on a relationship for a day, or does it just breed consumerism?

  • Does the film approach the topic of love any differently from other romantic comedies? Are all the pairings and their subsequent conclusions believable?

  • How does the film portray dating and romance? Ask your teens if this is what they think adult relationships are really like.

Movie details

Theatrical release date:February 12, 2010
DVD release date:May 18, 2010
Cast:Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Taylor Lautner
Director:Garry Marshall
Studio:New Line
Genre:Romance
Run time:90 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:some sexual material and brief partial nudity

This review of Valentine's Day was written by

S. Jhoanna Robledo
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Teen, 14 years old Written byMc876423 August 21, 2014
age 13+

A Valentine Day To Remember/Forget

This movie was okay. There was so many great actors and actresses in this movie. I thought, it was sort of a waste of the many great actors and actresses talents though. It was enjoyable and I would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of romantic movies or is a romantic.
What other families should know
Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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Teen, 15 years old Written byCinemaFanatic February 12, 2010
age 13+

Cute Movie For Teens And Adults

Valentine's Day is a sweet movie that is fun for older teens and adults. The big concern is the sexual content. A main character works for a sex-line and you hear bits of her phone calls with customers, which is portayed as humor but the dialouge is extremely innapropriate. There is discussion of two teens wanting to have sex, but parents will like the ending to their story. There are only a few married couples in the story, one married couple has the husband being unfaithful. But there is lots of casual sex and discussion. When you get past the sexual content, the movie is very enjoyable. Some of te stories are not very true to life, but there are some that you can take a good lesson from. CSM did forget to mention that there is a gay couple in the film. There is no sex involved with them, but it does show one stroking the others face. It may not bother some parents, but just to warn those who would like to know before they see the movie. This is one movie that should be based on the parent, not this website, because all parents have different preferences of sexual content. But that's what made it PG-13.
What other families should know
Too much sex
Great messages
Great role models
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Teen, 13 years old Written byDead Runway January 8, 2012
age 13+

This movie portrays shallow, stupid love that isn't what real love should be.

This movie really sucks. Pretty much every character has a shallow sense of humor. This movie is all about sex, sex, sex. I hate it. It gives children horrible messages. 35- 40 year old women in this movie dress like 18 year old sluts, in black little lacy corsets complete with garters. Teenagers discuss the appropriate times to have sex together. The men in the movies act like bastards. The worst couple in this movie are Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner. They are basically two dumb, lovestruck, ditzy teenagers who have no goals and aspirations in life. Taylor Swift plays Felicia, a dumb blonde valley girl. Her boyfriend, Willy (Taylor Lautner), is a conceited popular boy jock who cares only about sports. This movie portrays love that is shallow, stupid and not love at all. All the women in this movie are jerks who do nothing but yap on the phone with their girlfriends, and wear to much makeup. And as for the men? Well, you know..............
What other families should know
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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