![The trailer for "Valentine's Day" hints at a romance between Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/hash/02/a8/02a86110860edf37490422867070be7b.jpg "The trailer for "Valentine's Day" hints at a romance between Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts")
Many in the media are crying foul because the romantic story line between Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") and Eric Dane ("Grey's Anatomy") is not featured in the trailer for the new movie Valentine's Day, with some accusing New Line of deciding not to reveal their onscreen relationship out of fear it would scare off the straights.
But something far less nefarious (and probable) may be behind the decision - the fact that Dane and Cooper both stink at playing believable gay characters.
In the movie, directed by Frank Marshall and featuring a huge all-star cast, Cooper is in love with Dane, who plays a closeted football player, according to Hollywood Reporter. But you won't find that information anywhere in the trailer or the vague synopsis featured on the film's website, which reads simply, "Valentines Day follows the intertwining storylines of a group of Los Angelinos as they find their way through romance over the course of one Valentine's Day."
In what could very well kill their burgeoning film careers, Cooper takes the cliche role of sensitive gay best friend to Julia Roberts, while Dane tackles (pardon the pun) the lesser-seen gay pro football player grappling with his sexuality.
Given the fact that both Cooper and Dane have both built their careers playing one-dimensional hetero heartthrobs, it's understandable they might want to show some acting range by going gay for pay. However, if similar past big-budget Hollywood efforts are any indication, the results are usually awkward at best (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in 2005's Brokeback Mountain) or a complete disaster at worst (Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck in 1997's In & Out).
The Cooper-Dane storyline in Valentine's Day can't amount to much, given the sheer size of the movie's cast, which also includes Ashton Kutcher, Shirley Maclaine, Queen Latifa, Kathy Bates, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, and the two Taylors, Lautner and Swift. How many stories can get squished into 90 minutes?
Valentine's Day opens February 12, 2010 at theaters nationwide.
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Comments
You've based your opinions on what exactly? Bradley Cooper's already played gay in Wet Hot American Summer (a cult classic) which included a very believable and loving gay love scene. And as for him playing the "sensitive gay best friend to Julia Roberts" - the characters are two strangers who meet on a plane.
I watch a lot of TV and movies so I've seen a fair amount of movies and shows with gay characters. Some of the straight actors did decent, even very believable jobs playing gay, some didn't but its a little too early to judge which category Cooper and Dane will fall into.
For your information they did wonderful.
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