Valentines Day

Yes, I have to admit it, this weekend I was that girl we all hate - the one with a boyfriend on Valentines day, what's worse? For the first time ever I threw myself into full on mushy gushy mode.

And anyone who's had their eye on the trailers lately will know this meant only one thing... Valentines day the movie! As hideous as it sounds, the latest offering from Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall takes a more subtle approach to romance, there are no grand gestures, no screaming or tears and yet by the end I was still an emotional wreck.

Taking its' format from the likes of Love Actually (2003) and He's just not that into you (2009), the film follows a number of people loosely linked through their jobs and relationships as they tackle the dreaded day. Although as expected everybody gets a happy ending of sorts - except for the horrible cheating man who inevitably ends up alone - it's not half as sickening as usual. Marshall spends a lot of time in the film looking at the personalities of his characters and so by the end you don't mind a bit of cheese, because quite frankly, they've earned it.

The most comical performance for me came from Anne Hathaway. She plays Liz, a receptionist moonlighting as an 'adult phone entertainer' attempting to have a relationship with Topher Grace's Jason. At first it's hard to believe that the girl from the Princess Diaries (2001) could utter such filth, but she is very convincing and does it to great comic effect. Also worth noting is Taylor Swift's performance as Felicia, a high school girl 'like, totally in love' with her boyfriend, Taylor Lautner's Willy. Swift throws herself into the airhead role, showing that she can take the piss out of herself and that her real-life sense of humour must be great.

For me, what really made this film stand out was the completely unexpected twist at the end. Although I don't want to give it away for those who haven't seen it yet, the final scenes tie together any loose ends beautifully and restored my faith in the romcom, proving that it's not all about the grand gestures, it's the little things that make it work.