Surrogate Valentine

2011 American film
  • September 30, 2011 (2011-09-30)
Running time
1 hour 14 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Surrogate Valentine is a 2011 independent comedy film directed and produced by Dave Boyle.[1] The film's plot concerns a musician named Goh Nakamura, playing a fictionalized version of himself.[2] It is the first in a trilogy following Nakamura's character, followed by Daylight Savings (2012) and I Will Make You Mine (2020).[3]

Premise

San Francisco indie musician Goh Nakamura lives a life playing shows on the road. He reconnects with his high school crush, and is hired to teach an actor, Danny Turner, how to play guitar for a film role.[2]

Cast

  • Goh Nakamura as himself
  • Chadd Stoops as Danny Turner
  • Lynn Chen as Rachel
  • Parry Shen as Bradley
  • Mary Cavett as Valerie
  • Joy Osmanski as Amy
  • Calpernia Addams as Tammi
  • Eric M. Levy as Arthur
  • Dan Damage as Mark
  • Di Quon as Emily

Reception

Critical response to the film was generally positive. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 60% approval rating based on 5 reviews.[4]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a slight, but amiable buddy comedy" as well as saying that it "offers a certain mild slacker charm".[5] Michelle Orange of The Village Voice also gave a positive review of the film saying that it "cultivates a sweet, shucksy tone that wears thin in some of the early scenes, but ultimately deepens into genuine heart".[6] David DeWitt of The New York Times wrote that the film "sometimes catches an insightful moment in the offstage lives of gigging musicians, and shots of San Francisco have photo-realist charm. But the story never asserts itself in any dramatic or comedic or even home-movie fashion."[2]

References

  1. ^ "Surrogate Valetine". IMDb. 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  2. ^ a b c DeWitt, David (29 September 2011). "He Sure Looks a Lot Like That Singer". New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. ^ Galuppo, Mia (8 August 2018). "Lynn Chen to Direct Indie 'I Will Make You Mine'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Surrogate Valentine". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  5. ^ DeFore, John (12 March 2011). "Surrogate Valetine Hollywood Reporter review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
  6. ^ Orange, Michelle. "Surrogate Valetine the Village Voice review". Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-10-02.