Peter Travers reviews Valentine's Day in his weekly video podcast, "At the Movies With Peter Travers." How did director Garry Marshall persuade a big name cast to stuff themselves into this box of rancid heart-shaped chocolates? Besides Roberts, probably kicking herself for turning down two movies (The Blind Side, The Proposal) that put Sandra Bullock on the Oscar map, the cast includes Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Queen Latifah, Kathy Bates, Bradley Cooper, Emma Roberts (Julia's niece), two Jessicas (Alba and Biel), two remnants of That 70's Show (Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace), two young lovers both named Taylor (Lautner and Swift), and — can you stand it? Tenderize us until we’re raw and chompable.
– Romantic comedy Valentine's Day is stuffed with stars and subplots, but the quantity doesn't make up for the lack of quality, say critics in mostly negative reviews. This "is a date movie from hell," writes Peter Travers at Rolling Stone, wondering how Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall persuaded "a big name cast to stuff themselves into this box of rancid heart-shaped chocolates." Only a couple of the story lines in this "silly, disorganized mess" are even close to memorable, writes Bill Goodykoontz at the Arizona Republic. "There's far too much going on in Valentine's Day," he complains, "and far too little of it is worth the trouble." "This over-iced cake" actually goes down pretty smoothly, argues Joshua Rothkopf at Time Out, praising the performances of Jessica Biel, Shirley Maclaine, and Julia Roberts. But with its 18 stars, its 10 interconnected love stories all taking place on the same day in Los Angeles, and its 57 varieties of schmaltz, "this is many lousy movies for the price of one," writes Wesley Morris at the Boston Globe.