Julia Roberts, reigning queen of romantic comedies, takes top billing here Courtesy of Warner Bros

Opening on February 12 with impeccably calculated timing, the romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” opens two days before its namesake, giving it the opportunity to cash in on the dinner-and-a-date crowd. With a cast that includes big names like Julia Roberts and Shirley MacLaine paired up with rising stars such as Bradley Cooper (“The Hangover”) or Taylor Lautner (“Twilight”), the film is comfortably guaranteed to turn a profit.

For the sentimental types who enjoyed Garry Marshall’s “Love Actually,” there’s a lot about his latest film that will appeal. Witty dialogue and endearing plot twists are hallmarks of Marshall’s body of work, which includes “The Princess Diaries,” “The Runaway Bride” and “Pretty Woman.”

Set in Los Angeles, the plot of “Valentine’s Day” meanders between casually intertwined stories, all of which, of course, follow the ups and downs of love. There’s Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher), for instance, who asks his girlfriend to marry him but ends up realizing he’s in love with his best friend; the legendary Shirley MacLaine, meanwhile, plays a mature woman who learns that her husband is having an affair. And so on and so on.

With Roberts’ million-dollar smile and Lautner’s brooding smirks, this film is a safe bet for a date this cold February, especially if that date takes place on the 14th.