Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway in "Valentine's Day."
Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway in "Valentine's Day."
HOLLYWOOD - Kudos to Garry Marshall, who assembled an all-star cast for "Valentine's Day," his comedic tribute to romance. A cross between "Love, Actually" and "He's Just Not That Into You," "Valentine's Day" follows the intertwining storylines of a diverse group of Angelenos.
Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jessica Alba, Emma Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Queen Latifah, Shirley MacLaine and Hector Elizondo are some of the stars appearing in the comedy.
To get some idea of how tough it was directing a host of Hollywood stars, consider the press conference to promote the movie. Marshall, the comedy genius behind the TV shows "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley" and the hit movies "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride," shows up first and assumes the role of master of ceremonies.
"How many of you think you're here for the Mel Gibson thing," he jokes. "Well, it's not here. It's at another hotel."
Eventually, Hector Elizondo shows up and the director's one-man-show becomes a double-act.
"Shirley MacLaine used me as her key light," Elizondo quips, patting his bald head.
Cue MacLaine, who enters from a side entrance, assesses the situation and decides to take a seat.
Bradley Cooper, smiling and suntanned, enters next.
New moms Garner and Alba arrive next, looking slender and fit. They chat quietly as they look for their names on the dais, and then take their seats. Biel, Kutcher and Topher Grace enter and shuffle to their seats. Jamie Foxx, ever the cool one, arrives fashionably late, flashes a smile and sits down between Kutcher and Biel. And finally - drum roll - Julia Roberts enters, waves and takes her seat.
Seeing (almost) everyone in their places, Marshall ambles up the stairs to the stage and sits next to Roberts, his favorite leading lady. Getting the group assembled is akin to herding cats, and you appreciate the skill and calm of this veteran director.
However, this cavalcade of stars never appears all together on-screen. "Valentine's Day" unfolds as a series of interconnecting stories that take place on Feb. 14. Roberts plays a war vet flying home for a quick visit. Cooper plays her handsome seatmate, who politely has to fend off advances from a flirty flight attendant during the cross-country trip. Kutcher is a tenderhearted florist who pops the question to his longtime girlfriend, played by Alba. His best friend, played by Garner, is in love with a dreamy doctor (Dempsey), whose secret is discovered when he places two orders with Kutcher. Then there's Biel, who plays a publicist with no time for romance. Her star client is about to make an image-changing announcement and Foxx is a reporter on the scene. Representing "the younger generation," the two Taylors, who may or may not be dating in real life, play goofy high school sweethearts, while MacLaine and Elizondo play an older couple facing a crisis.
The tenor of the gathering takes on the aura of a college class, where no one really wants to speak first.
Asked innocuously what they like about L.A., the group is momentary caught off guard. The silence is deafening.
"I love the weather," Grace finally reveals.
"The farmers' markets," chimes in Garner.
"The mountains and the oceans," offers Biel.
"The 405," quips Cooper, referring to a major freeway that often doubles as the world's biggest parking lot.
Next question: "It's a lovely idea for a movie, but what's been your real experience?" (With love, presumably.)
"Somewhere around the second kid I thought, this is turning into something," quips Garner, who is married to actor Ben Affleck, with whom she has two children.
"I married my best friend," Alba says, referring to her husband, producer Cash Warren.
"Anyone want to share their worst Valentine's Day experience?" they're asked.
More silence.
"Oh yeah, you're going to get a lot of takers on that one," Roberts jokes.
She then cajoles Foxx to tell one of his stories.
"When I first got here, when I didn't have the name tag, it was a little interesting trying to date in L.A.," he recalls. "I met this girl on a Monday. We partied and kicked it and went back to my crib."
The next morning, the girl made him breakfast. Several days passed and Foxx didn't hear from her. He then spotted her at a party with another guy. "He has a Range Rover like yours, only it's this year's model," she informed him.
"That's my experience in L.A.," he says.
Kutcher is asked if he's as romantic as his "Valentine's Day" character.
"I love life and I love people and I love sharing," says Kutcher, who is married to actress Demi Moore. "So I think yes, I am."
Alba, Garner and Roberts are asked how they manage to find time to be romantic while raising children and having busy careers.
"My kids go to bed at 7:30," responds Roberts, who has three children with husband Daniel Moder.
"Mine goes to bed at seven," reveals Alba, "but I'm usually too tired."
"You change the definition of romance," interjects Garner, a mother of two. "Romance can just be breakfast over the tops of heads."
"We try to squeeze in a smooch," clarifies Alba. "A little card, a note to say I love you - we kind of do that randomly."
"For Valentine's Day, we're just going to be making out," Roberts quips.
- |
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.