I Hate Valentine’s Day (2009) Movie Review

Cast: Nia Vardalos as Genevieve Gernier and John Corbett as Greg Gatlin. Yes, there were many other characters, but the website I went to only had these two names.

MOVIE TRAILER

Pros: For romantic comedies, I’ve always enjoyed watching couples who have starred together in other movies (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks). This is one of them. Nia Vardalos and John Corbett have an easy going and natural chemistry onscreen that makes you laugh and relate to them without any effort. The story is fun, light hearted, funny and the characters have a great comedic timing (which is essential in any romantic comedies). Comedic timing not only in physical aspects, but in dialogue takes practice and necessary for the scene to work. The fact that this movie takes place in New York City (Brooklyn) around a flower shop is right up my alley. In fact, any movie that takes place near a flower shop or book store has my attention immediately. The audio is clear throughout the movie which is always a plus. Other than those mentioned above, this was a great movie to watch.

Cons: I did not notice any cons with this movie.

Cinematography: Brian Pryzpek was the Director of Photography. Simple pans and colorful elements were positively structured throughout the movie.

Music score: The music score of different artists were nicely sewn into scenes without taking away from the characters important dialogue. The usual and quick melody to make a scene funnier was nicely put. I call these quick melodies “tip toe music” because of the simple note sounds.

Favorite quotes:

“Sorry, I didn’t read your instruction manual.”

“You act like you live in the opening credits of some French film, you control everything so it doesn’t turn into something real.”

“I like French films.”

“Well, they’re not real, just like you!”

Audience reaction: I laughed several times the first time I saw this a few months ago. I quickly rewatched it tonight and still laughed. A good, simple and light hearted movie for any romantic at heart movie viewer.

Relatebility: I think most girls in their life time go through a phase where they think they are unstoppable and in control of their emotions at all times. No man can break their heart or sweep them off their feet. Until that one special guy comes along and breaks even the most stubborn bachelorette. The girl then thinks, “What? What is happening? I’m not in control of my emotions anymore! This is insanity!” So, they either fight it or just melt like butter under the guy’s spell. Like I said earlier, this is a cute movie and despite the title of the movie, a sweet movie to watch with your sweetheart today. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!