Valentine’s Day (or as Sanil calls it Valentime’s day) spells cliché. And to release a movie on Valentine’s Day weekend titled ‘Valentine’s Day’ is cliché raised to the power of 10000.
And yes I am a sucker for rom coms especially with the ones which have pretty much all of my favourite actors in one place (Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey). So cliché or not, it had to be watched.
And it was wonderful- especially to see that non- cliché characterizations. Julia Roberts as a Captain in the USA Army, returning on V-day for merely 24 hours, to meet not her man, but her son. Needless to say that was the only part of the movie where I cried.
McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) as the smart, handsome, dashing heart surgeon (well this Grey’s Anatomy hangover will not get old too soon) playing a married conniving adulterous SOB. Though that was little expected.
Eric Dane- looking hotter than he does as McSteamy- playing a gay guy who comes out of the closet for love. Awwww. And who should be his love interest but Bradley Cooper. Wow! When all along you were led to believe that Bradley would fall for Julia on their plane journey as ‘just-happened-to-be-seated-next-to-each-other-fate-meets-chemistry- coincidences’ (why don’t I ever get co-passengers like this?!). But he simply believed in love and was not in love with Julia when he made the ‘grand gesture’ of loaning her his limo. Nice touch there!
For a rom com movie buff there were also some kinda hidden funny gems. Taylor making a gag about being embarrassed to take his T-Shirt off (cute!). And Julia Robert’s reference on shopping on Rodeo Drive was simply priceless (remember the famous scene in Pretty Woman where she goes shopping in the high end shopping district posing as Richard Gere’s niece?).
And of course there were usual-tick-the-box-romantic-must-haves with child-teacher crush, singletons hate valentine’s gang, cynic turns mushy romantic, footballer-dancer (instead of cheer leader, we can’t get too cliché can we?), married for 3 decades and the spark still shines and 2 best friends realising that after all they are meant for each other.
Not to mention the multi-racial environment of LA being bought to life in- yes you guessed it- a cliché fashion. Mexican immigrant worker living the American dream, an Indian wedding complete with an old sardarji uncleji, goras doing the balle-balle, the usual.
At the end of it, Valentine’s Day beat up some clichés, re-created some existing ones and flogged some dead ones. But it did what it was supposed to do- make you smile and believe that magic exists (or at least can be created for 2 hours when a fabulous cast and talented director come together).
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