Parents' Guide to

Valentine's Day

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mushy ensemble romcom sticks to formula; some sexy stuff.

Movie PG-13 2010 90 minutes
Valentine's Day Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 26 parent reviews

age 15+

Shallow. Desperate. Annoying.

I thought maybe i was just in a bad mood but my negative take on this pig slop was spot on by the looks of other reviewers. It's thw type of movie that takes you nowhere, says nothing and gives less. Possibly the most shallow film I have watched. No characters are likeable. By the end you kind of hope they all collectibly fall through a crack in the San Andreas fault.
age 10+

Ages 10 and up

I think common sense media should have parents say 10+

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (26):
Kids say (77):

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.

Movie Details

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