The movie “Private Valentine: Blonde and Dangerous” is a light comedy, which is an unlikely comedy about the life of a spoiled Hollywood star, Megan Valentine, who is played by Jessica Simpson, she finds herself in a position of being publicly humiliated and penniless. She is desperate, so she rashly enters the U.S. Army hoping to redefine herself and get a new meaning in life. The movie is relying on cliches of rags to riches and fish out of water jokes since Megan cannot adjust to the harsh discipline and hard training of military personnel. Her conflicts with the drill sergeants and her attempts to fit in rather clumsily are usually the sources of the humor, and they prompt predictable and yet sometimes comical comedic moments.
The tone of the movie is generally light and airy, and the storyline is simple, with the focus on personal development and toughness. The performance of Jessica Simpson is sincere and it portrays the feeling that she is vulnerable underneath her glamourous character. The supporting actors particularly the harsh drill instructors bring a lot of much needed humor and life to the story. The film is aesthetically vivid and splendid, which is appropriate to its light-heartedness, but it does not have visual flair. The speed of the pacing is good and contributes to the story being interesting, but does so at the cost of more in-depth character development at the expense of rapid jokes and hackneyed situations.
In the end analysis, Private Valentine is a throwaway, feel-good comedy that provides several authentic insights of allure and goodwill. It touches upon the issues of humility and perseverance rather subtly, yet is shallow in the way it is done. Though it can be a good light, fluffy movie to watch with the friends who want to have fun, it does not really impress and it appears more like a popcorn movie than a movie with some sense. It is appropriate to a casual watch, but probably is not going to reach deep or defy expectations.
