All Things Valentine

The film begins with Avery Parker, a writer for The Portland Banner, dispensing anonymous relationship advice as 'The Coach.' When a reader named McKenna asks if she should leave her boyfriend because he ignores her Valentine's Day expectations, Avery bluntly suggests she move on. This advice leads McKenna to dump her boyfriend, Brendan Bains, a local veterinarian. Brendan is frustrated by the 'Coach's' interference and begins a crusade to debunk her columns, posting snarky comments under the handle 'Bench The Coach.' Meanwhile, Avery's editor, Lauren, assigns her a high-profile series titled 'All Things Valentine' to boost the paper's readership, despite Avery's personal cynicism toward the holiday following a string of past romantic disasters. Fate brings Avery and Brendan together when Avery's dog, Busby, falls ill. Unaware of their connection to the advice column, they experience an immediate spark. As they begin dating, they bond over their shared dislike of Valentine's Day clichés, even attending a chocolate-making class and a dance lesson together. However, their online personas continue to clash; Brendan's 'Bench' persona becomes a popular antagonist to Avery's 'Coach,' driving up web traffic for the newspaper. A secondary romance develops between Brendan's friend Kit and Avery's friend Pru, who runs a local bakery, though Pru is hesitant to date customers. The conflict reaches a boiling point when Lauren organizes a public event to reveal the Coach's identity and challenges 'Bench' to show his face. Avery is publicly unmasked at the event. Brendan, who is in the audience intending to apologize to the Coach, is horrified to realize that the woman he is falling for is the person who ruined his previous relationship. He flees the scene without revealing himself. The situation worsens when McKenna encounters Avery and reveals that Brendan is actually the troll 'Bench The Coach.' Feeling betrayed and believing Brendan's affection was a ruse, Avery breaks off the relationship. In the final act, Avery writes a somber column about the fleeting nature of love, but her father encourages her not to give up on the joy she found. McKenna also visits Avery to clarify that Brendan was planning to tell her the truth before the reveal. On Valentine's Day, Brendan arrives at Avery's home with a series of large visual signs—since he struggles to express himself verbally—apologizing for his actions and declaring his love. Avery forgives him, and the film concludes with the couple celebrating the holiday together, with Avery writing a final, hopeful column about the magic of finding the right person.