(Courtesy of Relativity Media)
To some, Valentine’s Day is a cinematic holiday equivalent to garbage, a pink and red display for Hollywood’s salvaged projects that tug at the heartstrings of teenage girls and hopeless romantics everywhere. For others, Valentine’s Day reminds them that love still exists and that someway, somehow, Josh Duhamel is waiting for them with bated breath and a bouquet of roses.
Whether in theaters or at your home, a romantic comedy is a Valentine’s Day must even for the most hopeless of romantics.
In theaters
FOR THE TRADITIONALIST: “Safe Haven”
Like leaves changing color and flowers blooming in the spring, Nicholas Sparks is back for his annual addition of love and lust in “Safe Haven.” Per usual, the movie is based on Spark’s own literary work and features female lead Juliane Hough and Josh Duhamel as her brooding, brunette counterpart. Hough plays Katie, a mysterious woman who appears in a North Carolian town on the run from a ruthless ex-boyfriend.
In true Spark’s fashion, Josh Duhamel plays Hough’s masculine savior who protects her from her vengeful ex-boyfriend and falls in love in the process. The resulting story is a mish mash of one-liners against the backdrop of Christina Perri songs that only Sparks can make watchable. Is it the next “Citizen Kane?” No. Is it a rom-com and then some? Yes.
FOR THE FUNNY BONE: “Identity Thief”
If anyone is arguing against Melissa McCarthy’s star power after “Identity Thief,” those murmurs should be silenced. Alongside funnyman Jason Batemen, McCarthy plays a criminally funny identity theif (hence the title) who steal’s Bateman’s indentify and lives life to the fullest as a result. When Bateman’s faux spending lands him in trouble with the law, his character must venture across country and bring his thief to justice to clear his name. If you’re looking for a Valentine’s flick with more laugh than heart, you can’t go wrong with the Bateman-McCartney comedy duo.
At Home
FOR OLD TIMES SAKE: “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days”
Somewhere, the committee than distributes “man-points” is waited with red pens and furrowed brows to knock me down a couple of levels after I confess my admiration for the 2003 rom-com featuring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. Perhaps it’s the Manhatten setting that gets me, or the genuinely funny performance from Hudson, either way, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is a classic movie perfect for a quaint date indoors.
FOR THE FOREIGN FILM LOVERS: “Amelie”
A love story meets a quirky mystery in the 2001 French sensation “Amelie.” Carried by a charming performance from Audrey Tautoo (unfortunately, she didn’t cross-over as well as Marion Cottilard) in the title role, “Amelie” follows a curious Parisian as she strolls around the City of Lights helping those in need and searching for a serendipitous boyfriend in the process. Pour some red wine, put on your hipster glasses and enjoy a night at home.
