I Hate Valentine's Day (2010)

This was a cute movie a slower paced movie, If your looking for just something to watch on a lazy day; this would fit the bill (almost a hallmark channel sort of feel)

*** Refreshing to not hear the F word every minute.

If you go into this movie with the thought of comparing it to Greek Wedding you'll be disappointed. I watched this on IFC one night after reading who was in it; while the storyline left a little room to be desired I gave it a try because I like the players. I thought it was neat that they were teaming up again. It didn't bore me and I watched the entire thing. There aren't many movies-especially romantic comedies-that are not predictable. This one in my opinion was predictable. For the most part with predicatable movies it is how they tell the story and reach that predictability which would determine the level of awfulness or how cheesy the movie will be. I thought the delivery with this film was fine. Also, the dialog was okay and the humor was subtle but above average. I laughed out loud a few times and I don't always do that even if it is funny. Some of the jokes were corny so you had to laugh because it's almost as if it were corny on purpose.

I like indie movies in general and this one was pretty okay to me. Before buying try renting it or check your local listings. I may buy it one day if the price is right.

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In "I Hate Valentine's Day," Genevieve (Nia Vardalos) runs a flower show in Brooklyn, where she dispenses bouquets and advice to the love lorn with joyous abandon. Having been disappointed by the men in her life, from her estranged father to her first boyfriends, Genevieve has developed a iron-clad policy of only going on five dates. She tells all of her gal pals to do the same thing, and glares at them when they are tempted to deviate from her proscribed path, all the while smiling with an intensity that will make your teeth hurt. Genevieve even has a general description for each of the five dates, just so the guy knows how things are supposed to go. Then she meets Greg (John Corbett), who wants to open a tapas bar down the street. Obviously, this is a guy worthy of way more than a mere five dates, but just as obviously it is going to take Genevieve almost the entire movie to reach that conclusion. Part of the problem turns out to be that there is some confusion as to whether their last date was the fourth date or the fifth date. He thinks that it was and dutifully disappears from her life, while she thinks it was not and wonders why he is not calling her for their final date.

The fact of the matter is that she is right about it only being the fourth date, but, more importantly, she is wrong to have her five date plan, a conclusion that you pretty much reach as soon as Genevieve explains it for the first time. But what becomes so disconcerting is that the utter trivilaity of the former is such a stupid impediment to dealing with the stupid rules of the latter. Besides, I did not really pick up on the descriptions of the five rules when I watched the film (the trailer makes them a lot clearer), so I was trying to remember what they were to figure out why Greg thinks the fourth date became the fifth and final date. Meanwhile, we are only halfway through the film, so Genevieve and Greg are treading water in inane ways before we get to the requisite happy ending. By that point I was becoming convinced that these two were better off without each other and starting to get creeped out by Genevieve having that omnipresent smile plastered on her face. The plot was dictating these two should end up together, but the rightness of that was not resonating with me that much. The unhappy couple are surrounded by a rather forgettable set of friends and co-workers, despite having the likes of Ian Gomez, Rachel Dratz, and Judah Friedlander, amongst other semi-recognizable faces.

My favorite moment in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" comes when Ian and Toula are on their first date at a restaurant and Ian comes up with the idea of going out again to a Greek restaurant that he has been to, which happens to be the one owned by Toula's parents. In your average romantic comedy there would be a funny scene where the couple goes to the restaurant and everybody tries to pretend they do not know each other and at some point the comic confusion results in the revelation of the truth, so on and so forth. But instead writer and star Vardalos has Toula admit that it is her family's restaurant. Ian looks at her and remembers Toula from before. This was back when Toula was the frumpy ugly duckling, but this does not matter to Ian. "I remember you," he says, and it is clear that this does not change what he thinks about Toula one iota. It is a lovely scene, and Vardalos and Corbett had wonderful chemistry in both that moment and the entire movie. So when the two co-starred again in "I Hate Valentine's Day," not only written this time but also directed by Vardalos (who came up with the script when the studio handed her the title), I was hoping that lightning would strike twice. But there is nothing in this 2009 romantic comedy that holds a candle to the best moments in the film that still helds the record for grossing the most money ($241 million in North America) without ever hitting #1 at the box office. Consequently, this is not just a bad romantic comedy, it is quite a disappointing one as well because of our fond memories of that earlier movie.

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I enjoyed this movie! It was predictable and a bit drawn out, but very likable. This movie would be perfect for viewing on a lazy, rainy day.

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What do you get when you have "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and strip away the family which adds charm and personality, and then put the entire focus on just the two leads? An unfunny, insipid, character-less piece of affectionate schlock, aka "I Hate Valentine's Day". I rather see that N'Sync fellow make another dirty Greek joke.

Part of what makes this movie unfunny is the abundance of awkward silences. An awkward silence joke usually works when a character is outrageously goofy to begin with and the line is so panned out that the crowd's silence is actually funny; even dry, uncomfortable silence can be funny. However, when John Corbett's character, Greg, made a comment about 'Get On Tapas' and no one spoke, it's neither goofy nor dry-humor. It's just awkward, and the same joke's been used at least three more times; it wasn't funny the first time around. None of the cast tried to put in the effort to make the witty banter less bland than they already were, and how they deliever them were absolutely cringe-worthy, like how that girl was making a scrapbook for her stalkee of the day. What's really insufferable is the main character, Genevieve (played by director/co-star Nia Vardalos). It's irritating by the way she almost always smiled and has a cheerful outlook, even when she made a cynical comment; she's rather disturbing than wholesome, and come to think of, Nia's like that in all of her films. As for her love interest/trophy guy, Greg, well if you've seen "Greek" and "United States of Tara", you know Corbett is playing the same darn character.

I can enjoy a good romance now and then, but this film is a romcom to a soulless and manufactured degree. The only good thing I can say about the movie is it's harmless. In fact, it's so safe, I wonder why it's rated PG-13 in the first place? Okay, Genevieve showed her panties in a 'cheeky comedic' scene and a couple of comments on pregnancy were mentioned, but otherwise, I doubt these are something mid-west suburban housewifes would get into a fit. As I end this review, I have to ask, why is it called "I Hate Valentine's Day"? The whole hook of the title didn't happen until the last ten minutes, and even then, it's never really about the holiday. It's about not committing to relationships, so why wasn't it called "I Hate Relationships"? It makes a point, even if the story is inept, but I guess I shouldn't judge the workings of marketing.

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