A first Valentine is always special...unless it is the wrong Valentine. In this film, it is definitely wrong because when young Emily Marshall meets David Olson, a new boy at school, she will experience her first Valentine. Unfortunately, David turns out to be Emily's half-brother! The best line in the film was when Ashley Marshall, the very concerned mother of Emily, asks her daughter the following question: "Please tell me that you guys never...."
"The Wrong Valentine" was plagued by a situation that was far-fetched beyond belief. From the outset, it was clear that David, who was just released from the North Pines mental institution, was unstable. It was never made clear why Ashley never learned that her husband had sired another child about Emily's age, prior to their marriage.
There was also too much over-acting in the film. David's character was totally over-the-top with enormous mood swings when he could pour on the charm for one moment, then turn on a dime into a complete psycho. There was never any genuine chemistry apparent between Emily and David.
One of our favorite actresses, Vivica A. "Lifetime" Fox, plays the role of the high school history teacher, Miss Janet Connelly, who was far too slow in recognizing the pathology of David. The kind high school counselor, Mrs. Stein, sensed that David was a loose canon, and she paid the ultimate price for it.
Another weakness of the film was the home of Ashley and young Emily. It seemed far too cavernous for only a mother and a daughter. And in the filming, the utterly sterile house did not seem to be "lived in." Everything about this film came up short in attempting to provide a compelling saga of My Funny and Deranged Valentine.
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