Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Valentine's Day

also known as “Día de los enamorados,” “Historias de San Valentín,” “Idas e vindas do amor,” “Valentinovo,” “Valentinstag”
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for some sexual material and brief partial nudity.

Reviewed by: Laura Busch
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Length: 2 hr. 05 min.
Year of Release: 2010
USA Release: February 12, 2010 (wide—3,600+ theaters)
Copyright, Warner Bros. Picturesclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures
Relevant Issues
Copyright, Warner Bros. Pictures

TRUE LOVE—What is true love and how do you know when you have found it? Answer

Sex, Love and Relationships
Learn how to make your love the best it can be. Discover biblical answers to questions about sex, marriage, sexual addictions, and more.

Virgin

Adultery

Divorce

Fornication

Lust

My boyfriend wants to have sex. I don’t want to lose him. What should I do? Answer

Should I save sex for marriage? Answer

How can I deal with temptations? Answer

How far is too far? What are the guidelines for dating relationships? Answer

What are the consequences of sexual immorality? Answer


Lying in the Bible

Truth

Goodness

Goodness of God


HOMOSEXUALITY—What’s wrong with being gay? Answer
Homosexual behavior versus the Bible: Are people born gay? Does homosexuality harm anyone? Is it anyone’s business? Are homosexual and heterosexual relationships equally valid?

What about gays needs to change? Answer
It may not be what you think.

What does the Bible say about same sex marriages? Answer

Read stories about those who have struggled with homosexuality


Hollywood
What do Hollywood celebrities believe about spiritual issues? Find out

Why is there a disconnect between Hollywood and the rest of America? Answer

What is being done to change the values of Hollywood? Answer

Featuring Jessica Alba (Morley Clarkson), Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel (Kara Monahan), Bradley Cooper (Holden), Eric Dane (Sean Jackson), Patrick Dempsey (Harrison Copeland), Hector Elizondo (Edgar), Joe Jonas (Morley Clarkson’s dog—voice), Jamie Foxx (Kelvin Briggs), Jennifer Garner (Julia Fitzpatrick), Topher Grace (Josh Morris), Anne Hathaway (Liz), Ashton Kutcher (Reed Bennett), Queen Latifah (Erin Patusi), Taylor Lautner (Tyler Harrinton), George Lopez (Alphonso), Shirley MacLaine (Estelle), Emma Roberts (Grace Smart), Julia Roberts (Kate), Taylor Swift (Samantha Kenny), Taylor Swift (Felicia), Carter Jenkins (Alex O'Bannon), See all »
Director Garry Marshall
Producer Karz Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Rice Films, Samuel J. Brown, Russell Hollander, Mike Karz, Mark Kaufman, Diana Pokorny, Wayne Allan Rice, Josie Rosen
Distributor Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo.Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

“From the director of ‘Pretty Woman’ comes a day in the life of love.”

“Valentine’s Day” seeks to discover the meaning of true love as it tells the story of several interconnected relationships during a Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles. This tale opens when Reed (Ashton Kutcher), the young owner of a flower shop proposes to his girlfriend, Morley (Jessica Alba) on Valentine’s morning. Subsequently, we are introduced to the other players in this romantic comedy including, Reed’s good friend, Julia (Jennifer Garner), a kind-hearted elementary school teacher, who believes she has found something special in her relationship with Harrison (Patrick Dempsey), a successful doctor. We are also introduced to Julia’s friend, Kara (Jessica Biel), a lonely young publicist, who finds herself alone on Valentine’s Day every year. We are also introduced to two young high school couples, who find themselves caught up in their naïve and superficial ideas about what true love should be. We also meet two couples whose relationships have stood the test of time and a ten-year-old boy who discovers love for the first time. All of these characters’ stories of joy and heartache are brought to life by an all-star ensemble cast in Gary Marshall’s latest film.

Objectionable Content

“Valentine’s Day’s” moral stance on sex is one of the most offensive aspects of this film. This film serves to reinforce the secular world’s ideologies on this matter, as all of the characters in this film operate under the assumption that sex outside of marriage is an inevitable and normal part of every romantic relationship. The opening scenes set the tone for this film’s perspective on sex, as we are introduced to the different unwed characters, as they wake up in bed together on Valentine’s morning. Several female characters are seen wearing very short, skimpy nightgowns and several male characters are shown shirtless (one of the men is wrapped in a towel).

There is also a lot of frank sexual talk throughout this movie. Liz (Anne Hathaway), a struggling assistant at a talent agency, moonlights as a phone sex entertainer. Much of Liz’s dialogue is very inappropriate and awkward, as she is featured in many scenes describing immoral sexual acts, such as threesomes and the like, with her customers. Liz also tries to hide her embarrassing profession from her new boyfriend, Jason (Topher Grace), a mail assistant at the talent agency.

One of the teenage couples, Grace (Emma Roberts) and Alex (Carter Jenkins) plan to sleep with each other on Valentine’s Day during lunch to demonstrate their love for one another. Grace even tells one of her teachers about her plans and her teacher responds by saying “this must be a special time for you.” Alex sneaks into Grace’s bedroom during lunch to set things up for them. He takes off his clothes, before Grace gets there (a guitar covers the front of his body). Grace’s mom walks into her daughter’s room to find her naked boyfriend only covered by his guitar. Her mother tells him he must leave and he runs through the streets with only the guitar in front of him.

During the film, viewers discover that Harrison, Julia’s doctor boyfriend, is married with a family and has been lying about his life. Themes of homosexuality also made their way into this film, as we see Sean (Eric Dane), a football star, proudly announce on national television that he is gay. The normalization and exaltation of this kind of lifestyle is reinforced, when several of the characters offer Sean their approval and support.

“Valentine’s Day” is peppered with the following profanities: about 2 uses of the s-word, approximately 4-6 uses of a**, d**n, and h***, 2 crude terms are used to describe the male anatomy, and 9 misuses of G*d.

Positive Elements

Despite this film’s heavy sexual content, there are several important lessons about committed relationships and love to be found in these characters’ stories. Most of these moral lessons are embodied in the character of Reed. His strength of moral character, which is displayed throughout the film, is refreshing. Reed is genuinely excited about his engagement to Morley and he has a true desire to take on the commitment that comes with marriage and family. Morley, on the other hand, does not share in his excitement about their future as a married couple, and she breaks off their engagement.

After his breakup, Reed seeks to better understand what the foundation is for committed relationships and true love. He asks his long-time married coworker, Alphonso (George Lopez), why his relationship with his wife and kids is so strong. Alphonso tells Reed that it is simple, he “married his best friend.” Reed takes this to heart, as he learns that love grows out of friendship over time.

Reed’s good character and genuine concern for his friend, Julia, is further exemplified when he discovers that her boyfriend is married. He makes the right decision to tell her about it, even if it means going to great lengths to do so. Later, Reed comes to the realization that he is meant to be with Julia. His love for her has grown out of their close friendship. He genuinely and unselfishly loves Julia as a total person and only wants the best for her.

Julia emphasizes the importance of marriage, when she tells her fifth grade students about the history of Valentine’s Day. She explains to them that an emperor banned couples from marrying, but a priest named Valentine secretly married couple’s in order preserve the institution of marriage.

Summary and Recommendations

Even though “Valentine’s Day” and its cast of characters are not without their likable and redeeming qualities, these moral highpoints are obscured by this film’s mature thematic content and promiscuous position on sex, so I advise viewers to leave this Valentine unopened.

Violence: Mild / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive

none

Neutral
Neutral—I liked how all the different plots and people wove together… but this movie was ruined by unneccessary sexual content. Plus, the acting wasn’t all that good either. My friend and I spent almost the entire time making fun of it.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Kadie Joseph, age 18 (USA)
Negative
Negative—We just had a “date night” and were so looking forward to a wonderful new film. We see all types of movies, and enjoy almost all of them. This movie was truly horrible. Parts were cute and interesting, so it made the bad seem even worse.

Morality aside, it was stupid. But I myself felt filthy seeing it. We were bludgeoned with Gay lovers, sex in every relationship (even the new ones), phone prostitution (and by one of the most darling current female actors), and feeling as if sex, infidelity, and homosexuality were all that our culture consists of in relationships. What a sad way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, a special holiday to share connection with the one we love for life. And what a sad way to steal innocence from all the teens in our audience.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
nmac, age 56 (USA)
Negative—I watched this movie today with my daughter, who is fifteen. I found it to be very inappropriate at times. Many things could have been eluded to instead of shown, such as an eighteen year old wearing only a guitar. Although there are some positive relationships in this movie, the overall feel is that it’s ok and normal to have immoral relationships. The institution of marriage is questionable with all but one couple in the movie.

For the other married couples one doctor is seen leaving his girlfriend and goes to his home where his wife and daughter live (The girlfriend has no clue he is married). The older couple who seem to be an example for being together for years and having only one partner for life, end up with a revelation of an affair long ago for the wife. On a positive note, there are many actors/actresses in this movie who all do a wonderful job, and it is well played out cinematically. But, even if I had seen it with my husband and not my daughter, I still would have left with a hole in my pocket that I wish weren’t there!

If you absolutely can’t miss this movie, I’d suggest renting it on DVD when it is released instead of seeing it at the movies.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Suellen Sheard, age 40 (USA)
Negative—I am very disappointed. I lead a girls' bible study with young teenage girls at my church. We’ve been looking for a way to spend some girl time outside of the study and thought that going to see this “chick flick” would be a great way to do so. The previews looked like it was all about love. However, the entire movie was based on sex, though no physical sex scenes were shown… It gives the impression that you cannot have a loving relationship without sex. I was embarrassed to bring the girls back to the church, and we had to have a long talk about how the movie is a great example of how society views love and relationships and what the world expects of as women compared with what God expects of us as His children. We discussed how the movie plot did not need all of the sex talk and talked about how important it is not to be deceived by the world’s lies, but I am completely mortified and will never take my girls to another movie without checking the reviews first.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jen S, age 26 (USA)
Negative—I saw “Valentine’s Day” on a television station and was happy that I didn’t spend money on it at the movies. Although it had some funny parts, it contained a lot of sexual innuendo. I was disappointed to see some actresses, that I enjoyed in other movies, portraying roles that were morally offensive.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Janna, age 46 (USA)
Comments from young people
Positive—I liked “Valentine’s Day.” It was funny and cute. The characters all have moral problems, but who doesn’t. I think this film should not be seen by young children, but it provides some good discussion topics to discuss with your teens. The fact that the teens refrain from immorality was a definite plus. The character of Liz was not called for (no pun intended), and I found it sad that her boyfirend didn’t tell her to stop. Overall, I thought it was a funny chick flick. Just fast forward some scenes. If you would like to watch more movies without all the immoral trash, check out clearplay.com
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Gabriel C., age 15
Positive—I actually enjoyed the movie. I am a Christian, and I do attend church. I realize this movie had several unchristian things, but I do not believe the movie was offensive. The two teenagers did not consummate their relationship, like some other movies I have seen. I found that Anne Hathaway’s character was a very nice comic relief and showed the things some people are pushed to by the world.

The homosexual content was very limited, and in this day and age it is accepted just the way it was portrayed. I do not condone homosexuality. I know God put man and woman on this planet for a purpose of being together. I do however have a homosexual friend. I love him dearly, and he has helped me do the right thing more then some of my “Christian” peers. I also believe God sent him my way to help him come to know Jesus. Sometimes God sends us to people that many “Christians” would never consider being seen with. God works in mysterious ways and if you are a true follower you love everyone no matter their sexual preference or their religious preference.

I think this movie is worth your time if you are 16 or older. If you are a true Christian then you will not be swayed in your moral ethics by a movie like this. It is enjoyable, and it’s a cute romantic movie. …
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Autumn, age 16 (USA)

Response from another visitor—To Autumn—Please sister allow me a comment. If you opened up the Bible… you would find God’s view on homosexuality a little different then your tolerance. He absolutely does not tolerate it at all and calls it an abomination (Lev. 22:13). On one hand your right we should witness to all unbelievers and love them no matter what sins they are in, but at the same time we are called to not keep company (1 Corinth. 5:9) or to be unequally yoked with them (2 Corinth. 6:14), and definitely to not receive their advice or guidance, because they are of the world and of the devil, who we all once were of before we came to Jesus. You should be getting your instruction from God’s word with guidance from a mature christian sister who is rooted in God’s word and sold out for Christ, as you should strive to be.

We need to get back to calling sin a sin and not go to movie’s like this that promote absolute blasphemy against our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Satan is using movies like this to DESENSITIZE the world and, unfortunately, especially Christians… What happens is pretty soon nothing in the way of sin bothers us anymore, and we have become deceived, while Satan is laughing all the way to hell. We need to get back to living a holy life for Christ, as we are called to while there is still time. God bless you.

seriously concerned, age 38 (USA)

Comments from non-viewers
I did not see this movie, but came on this Web site to check it out, because my 13 year old daughter wanted to see it. This movie sounds horrific, and I am saddened that there are probably many young girls seeing this movie this weekend. Parents, please research movies before letting your children see them.
Jen, age 37 (USA)