Everyone is talking about the new movie Valentine’s Day – here’s why.
The latest instalment of the hugely popular romantic comedy series stars Robert Pattinson as Valentine—an adoring husband who accidentally buys a collar that forces him to act as the romantic interest of the female characters he interacts with. The movie has already made $16 million at the box office in the UK alone, and has become the country’s biggest Valentine’s Day hit of all time. It’s now playing in the US, and is expected to make a similar amount there.
The movie is hilarious, full of heartbreak lies, and some of the best hijinks you will ever see. But beyond the laughs, there are serious lessons to be learned from Valentine’s Day. Here, we answer some of the most pressing questions about this romantic comedy.
Is Acting Better Than Reality?
One of the first things you will notice about Valentine’s Day is that it does not live up to the usual high standards of reality TV. There are no celebrity cameos, no dramatic twists, and very little advertising. What you get is an entirely realistic portrayal of romance in 2018, as seen through the eyes of four fictional 30-somethings living in London.
Indeed, the series creators have gone to great lengths to ensure that Valentine’s Day lives up to the highest television standards. The entire crew, including the directors, the camera teams, and even some of the actors, are veteran journalists who have worked with acclaimed British TV producer Rory Bremmer on other shows. They all worked together to ensure that the production values are consistent and that nothing is faked for shock value.
In addition, the series creators worked with the ITV press office to ensure that everything they filmed was accurate in terms of presenting a balanced view of love in today’s London. Every Valentine’s Day interview was carefully scripted and conducted to appear as real as possible. From start to finish, they wanted to capture the unscripted and unrehearsed nature of real life romance in 2018. They succeeded. Every bit of this series is utterly believable and totally relatable.
What is the Secret to a Happy Marriage?
If there is one theme that runs throughout Valentine’s Day it is that of finding happiness within yourself and in your relationship with your partner. It is something that the creators wanted to emphasise in their realistic depiction of contemporary romance. In an interview with The Telegraph, Bremmer said: “The story of finding love within yourself is the great romance of our time. It’s also the great message of Valentine’s Day. If you want to find happiness, begin by believing in love.”
The four main characters are devoted to each other and work hard to make their relationship work. They are not perfect, and certainly not happy. They fight, they misunderstand each other, and they hurt each other’s feelings. But in the end, they always find a way to forgive and understand one another. This may be the greatest strength of their relationship. They are learning to value what each other has to offer, and to be open to new ideas and new ways of looking at things. This is what makes their romance so watchable and relatable: we see a real story with real people.
Bremmer added: “Romance on TV used to be totally unrealistic. People wouldn’t believe the dramas that used to unfold between the sheets. Now it’s all about portraying real life.” With Valentine’s Day, the makers wanted to prove that even in 2018, romance can look and feel exactly as it does in real life. As a result, we get to see a more realistic portrayal of romance than we have ever seen on television before. This is what makes it so special.
Is Love Always Enough?
Let’s be honest, we’re all adults here. Of course, love is important. Having a good relationship with your partner is a wonderful thing. But it’s also important to be happy, not just because you love someone, but because you can.
The four main characters in Valentine’s Day have busy schedules, stressful jobs, and a hectic social life. They all want and need balance in their lives, and they find it in the most unlikely of places: their friends, family, work, and social platforms. In the end, they learn to value all of these things equally and to appreciate the moments that they have together. Even when they are arguing, they still look at each other with love and respect as they try to negotiate a compromise. For them, compromise is a key element of a happy relationship.
This is the message that the series wants to promote. Even in today’s complex world, where we are bombarded with information and media, there is still one thing that matters: being happy and being with someone you love. If you want to find love, go out and about in the real world. Don’t sit at home, wishing and hoping for something to happen. Go out there and find it. Then, when you do, hold on tight. Because, ultimately, that is all that matters in the end.
How to Deal With Feelings of Inadequacy
One of the greatest things about Valentine’s Day is that it shows us a side of ourselves that we never really got to see before. The makers wanted to challenge themselves and the audience to see how far they could go with the joke. They joke about the fact that Valentine is a bit of a coward, as well as a complete and utter moron. But even the most despicable characters do and say the right things at the right times, and ultimately, we can understand where they are coming from.
However, this kind of humor can be extremely frustrating and almost impossible to watch for some people. If you are the kind of person who finds it difficult to feel that you relate to the central character, Valentine, you might find that this type of humor pushes you away instead of pulling you in. Just because the characters are exaggerated comic book characters does not mean that you have to relate to them or find them hilarious. On the contrary, many of the things that they say and do can make you feel quite inadequate as an individual, let alone a couple.
The fact is that many people, particularly men, find it difficult to open up about their feelings. The creators of Valentine’s Day acknowledge this and even go so far as to say that this is the case for a lot of their characters. One of the main reasons for this is that they feel that men are not supposed to cry. Even in 2018, men are still expected to do everything and be the strong, silent type. This is why they find it difficult to show emotions: perhaps if they did, they would not be as effective leaders or influential mates. This is also one of the major themes of the series: to show men how they can be vulnerable and how much this can enchance their relationships with women. Ultimately, this is something that they want to show the world: that men can be emotional, compassionate, and strong.