You asked a very good question. It does seem strange that he got good reviews earlier and then all of a sudden it changed. When it opens nationwide it may change for the better again. James does get great reviews from the major T.V. stations here. The Today Show, the Early Show, Jon Stewart (one of the best) and Jay Leno. I remember when our local news channel 4 reviewed "stater for 10" and "TLKOS", he loved both these movies. He spoke at length about how good James was. The scene they showed from"TLKOS" was when Nicolas told him he was leaving. This reviewer was so impressed with both actors in that scene. The papers are a different story, so who cares. When he is in New York in Jan. he'll be shown the love again. How can you not love him. There is no one who could play Valentin as beautifully as he does. His part is very important to movie and if you can see past the love scene you then understand why Masha matters so much to the film. I do'nt know how to put up the spoiler marker, so I can'nt say the next thing fully - Chertkov is doing this for the love of ----, Valentin has never met ---- only imperfect -- and --. The only way Valentin feels this way is because of Masha and this is an important part in the movie. Like "Atonement" you should see this movie a second time to see and hear the things you missed the first time. I am trying to see it again this week.