Valentine’s Day

Rating: ***

It’s that week of the year when you never know where you will be ambushed by love in the time of greeting cards — your phone,computer,TV,newspaper,the local confectioner or your favourite restaurant. So should you actually pay to watch more of it on the big screen? The surprise is,you can.

Valentine’s Day is one of those films which is light on the mind as well as on the poor heart,called upon to perform a year’s catching up on one single day. No long speeches,no big breakups,no long make-ups,and no earth-shattering revelations apart from the fact that 110 million roses are sold on Valentine’s Day in the US (take that!). Marshall keeps it simple,down to the title that leaves no doubts about the film’s modest aspirations.

The star lineup,which may have a lot to do with Marshall’s impressive lineage in romantic comedies dating back to Pretty Woman,comprises nice people,good to look at and easy to like. In the general V-Day excitement and expectations,they see ups and downs which,of course,stand more or less resolved by the film’s end.

There are some you wish you got to see more of,including Roberts,who is as pleasing as ever,and some whom we could do with far less of,like Kutcher and his talkative partner,particularly given the brevity of some of the roles and stories. Particularly the warm little tale of Hathaway,who is a poetry major paying off bills moonlighting as an adult phone entertainer,and the besotted Topher Grace. The two Taylors (Lautner and Swift) are in first irritating flushes of high school love,and Swift steals the show,underlining V for vacuousness.

The biggest injustice is to an Indian bride and groom,who are considered funny enough to be juxtaposed next to a party lamenting lonely,single persons on V-Day. But,really,it’s Valentine’s Day. Should we really take that to heart?