One thing that I love when it comes to any move/adventure is a good road trip. Finding ones way, especially when it’s a complicated mess, can always be made better with a good road trip. As a matter of fact, it’s a right of passage.
Welcome to Valentine is a road trip movie.
Now, that being said, I hate real life road trips. The thing I hate worse than that though is Valentines Day. No need for some of us to be reminded that we’re not in love or have been dumped callously so that someone doesn’t have to buy a gift. Yes, I am bitter and I will be taking no questions at this time.
I can’t imagine growing up in a place that reminds me of Valentines on a daily basis. Also can’t imagine living in Nebraska.
But I am not Olivia.
She moved to New York City with big dreams of being an artist. And all of that didn’t work out as planned. That’s the crazy thing about New York though, not everything works out as planned. However, what I have found that it does is give you the space to grow and find your way.
Through the changes that New York throws at her, Olivia ends up on a journey home to Valentine for the annual Valentines Day parade. Her sister is organizing the parade and Olivia had never missed one. She wasn’t meant to go home, but here she is – traveling back.
George is her old roommates cousin, and she finds him dropping her off. The car breaks down and he gets stuck in the town. He’s not thrilled about it and he’s kinda shown what a jerk that he can be. He’s uptight and definitely doesn’t have a mind of his own. He thinks that he has to live up to what his family wants, but in the process has forgotten who he is.
Then again, pretty sure he never knew who he was.
Seeing him interact with people in the town and work on his families car that has broken down makes him more likable. Seeing him try to make things right with Olivia, buying everyone strawberry shakes, and really just trying to be an all around better person, is intriguing.
But the reason that it is, well that’s because when we see things like that, what we get is people making people better. It’s not something that happens everyday in life, but movies sometimes make us see that we need to open our minds to the world around us.
Olivia and George are very different, but that’s what makes them work. It makes them work because it can open their eyes to the world that is around them. I feel like we all have such a sheltered world around us that sometimes we forget that other people have a world outside of our own.
George creates issues for Olivia, but she rises to the occasion and doesn’t let him distract her completely. She tells her family what is happening in her life, even though honesty isn’t the easiest thing to give.
It’s Kathryn Davis as Olivia that really keeps a person invested in this movie. She carries off Olivia with strength and vulnerability. She doesn’t allow herself to be any grace, but George teaches her to do just that. He makes her pull out of herself things that she didn’t know she was capable of.
And he does that for her too. But, it’s Davis’ portrayal that makes me really think not only should I be more open to my dreams, I should allow people to love me.
I am fully aware that movies don’t need to be so deep. But that also being said, I am fully aware that sometimes you can find a lesson in everything.
I did.
What’s that lesson? Following your dreams can sometimes lead you to finding your valentine. Well, that and maybe Nebraska isn’t that bad.
Welcome to Valentine airs on The Hallmark Channel.
