Roberts, Garner Dish on Valentine’s Day

Jennifer Garner portrays a teacher who goes to great lengths for love in "Valentine's Day."

Although it’s been a while since we’ve enjoyed a romcom at the theater, it seems we’ll be able to make up for lost time with today’s opening of Valentine’s Day (New Line Cinema), Garry Marshall’s star-studded film that follows several romantic storylines (whether we’ll want to, based on the onslaught of scathing reviews, is another issue). The frothy feel-good comedy stars a veritable Who’s Who of Hollywood heavyweights, including Jessicas Alba and Biel, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine and Julia Roberts. We caught up with Roberts, 42, and Garner, 37, at a recent press event.

Both busy moms, Roberts and Garner gamely shared how they plan to make time for the hearts-and-flowers holiday. “For Valentine’s Day, we’re just gonna be making out, the full 24 hours,” quips Roberts, noting that her kids are in bed by 7:30. “You change the definition of romance,” adds Garner. “Romance can just be breakfast over the tops of heads. Just getting through the day, you’ve just got to create that.”

Garner, whose character plans to surprise her beau (Dempsey) by flying to see him on Valentine’s Day, can relate to her storyline — she has similarly logged air miles to rendezvous with hubby Ben Affleck. She wouldn’t tell us the best Valentine gift he’s given her, but confided with a smile, “Let’s just say he’s very, very good, always.”

For Roberts, Valentine’s Day was a reunion with both her Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride director Marshall as well as Cooper, who co-starred with her on Broadway in Three Days of Rain in 2006. The two actors play airplane seatmates — she’s a soldier on one-day leave — and whom each is flying to see is a surprise twist we won’t spoil. When we asked what makes for a successful relationship, Roberts was quick to reply. “Two people who work at it,” she says. “That’s what works.”

What do you think makes a relationship work?

Photo credit: Ron Batzdorff/Warner Bros.

Tags: Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Cinema of the United States, director, Entertainment/Culture, Garry Marshall, George Lopez, Human Interest, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Latifah, Mass media, New Line Cinema, Patrick Dempsey, Queen, Roberts, Ron Batzdorff/Warner Bros, Runaway Bride, Shirley MacLaine, Television in the United States, Valentine, Valentine's Day