“Love is the last shocking act on the planet,” said the semi-main character of the new movie, Valentine’s Day, Reed Bennett, played by Ashton Kutcher. The celebrity-packed movie about a day in the life of love portrays various love stories on the most famous love day of all, Valentine’s Day.

     Kutcher’s character holds the almost-too-many story lines together well. Reed is a hopeless romantic with a realistic sense of the idea of love but not of his own love life. The story begins when Reed proposes to girlfriend Morley, played by Jessica Alba. She says yes, but as Reed’s friends can tell, and so can the viewer, the relationship is on rocky ground. Reed is a loveable character with wit, charisma and a certain magnetism that Kutcher plays with confidence instead of his usual cockiness.

      Reed’s family-owned florist shop helps the story to evolve and shift comfortably. However, watching the staff of the flower shop makes anyone not want to work at a florist on Valentine’s Day.

The characters range from young to old, practiced to inexperienced, infatuated to true love, aged relationships to new ones. Each relationship in Valentine’s Day illustrates every imaginable pitfall and triumph of love.

The youngest lover, a fifth grader played by Bryce Robinson, weaves the stories together. His teacher, Julia Fitzpatrick, played by Jennifer Garner, is also Reed’s best friend, Patrick Dempsey’s girlfriend and Taylor Swift’s neighbor.

Each story takes an unexpected twist. Some even with a few laugh-out-loud moments. One moment in particular with Emma Roberts’ high school character’s boyfriend, Alex, played by Carter Jenkins, involves a guitar, a mom and a lack of clothes. Needless to say, the perfect set up for some laughs and awkward exchanges.

Some jaw-dropping moments come with Eric Dane’s football star character, Sean Jackson, Anne Hathaway’s out of the norm character, Liz, and Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine’s characters, Edgar and Estelle’s, tried and true marriage.

Each relationship is portrayed with surprising accuracy of heartbreak, success and utter satisfaction.

Some important lessons can be learned from the characters of Valentine’s Day, things like never date a married man, make sure your valentine is someone very special, marry your best friend and do not try to plan magic.

The most touching and real message from this movie comes from Shirley MacLaine. “When you love someone, you love all of them. You will forgive me because you love me. You even love the parts of me you don’t like,” Estelle says to her husband, Edgar.

   Valentine’s Day shows that love is more than $55 roses, singing cards, shocking acts and one day set aside for showing affection. Love is something shared between two people of any age or experience. Love is just a confusing joy.