Critic Reviews

Valentine puts a modern twist on family drama that's edgy and fun without being overwrought or vulgar.

Valentine in small doses can be goofy good fun, and there are enough hot bods--including Autumn Reeser of The O.C. as the Oracle of Delphi's handmaiden, Kristoffer Polaha (Mad Men) as Eros and Robert Baker (Leatherheads) as Hercules--to soothe even the deepest political paranoia.

Valentine, created by Kevin Murphy ("Desperate Housewives," "Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical"), is fine but nothing special.

Like the homeliest puppy in the pound, there's something lovable about this clanky ode to romantic love; maybe it's just that the cast is so determined to put it over, no matter how foolish even the actors might find the material.

Still, despite the witty dialogue and capable performances, everything on this wispy show is resolved a little too easily.

While the hour is not without its charm, it's just a tad too precious for its own good, so taken with its own lithe coolness that it rather destroys any chance it might have to connect with us on anything greater than a superficial level.

Valentine is more what I was anticipating when I heard about the MRC-on-CW deal: low-budget, disposable and artery-clogging in its levels of cheese.

Besides a few screwball scenes and hints at a possible pairing a la "Romancing the Stone" between Danny and moony-eyed romance novelist Kate Providence (Christine Lakin), the rest feels rather ridiculous.

Valentine is sweet and amusingly cheesy but quite forgettable.

A wellmeaning, goodnatured show that doesn't have quite the sparkle you'd expect when the main characters include Aphrodite and Hercules.