Written by Marina Coates
Love Hurts is the long-awaited directorial debut of stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio, starring Ke Huy Quan (who returned to the spotlight with his Oscar-winning performance in 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once). The two share a background in martial arts, so unsurprisingly, the stunt choreography is one of the most impressive parts of this film.
Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan) is trying his best to live a normal, cookie-cutter life as a successful real estate agent after leaving his past as a hitman for his brother’s crime syndicate. When his presumed dead past partner in crime (fellow Oscar winner, Ariana DeBose) resurfaces, she’s not the only one who wants revenge and to pull Marvin back into his past life.
Set on Valentine’s Day, the film plays as a sort of rom-com parody, bringing us a fresh take on romance films. It leans into the cheesiness of rom-coms in a way that initially feels off-putting but in the end, only serves to further the film as a whole. The film’s premise is fun, but it fails to fully commit to its comedy or romance, relying heavily on action scenes (you can hardly blame Eusebio, but this still harms the movie). However, Quan is excellent in his first lead role in quite some time, and he handles it wonderfully, but he deserved a better film for his star comeback.
Love Hurts boasts a wonderfully diverse cast of supporting characters including Quan’s Goonies co-star Sean Astin, former running back Marshawn Lynch (who’s character has some unexpectedly sound relationship advice), and Property Brother Drew Scott. These supporting actors provided great laughs, but none were as fleshed out as you’d wish.
For all of the good the film provided, it was met with equally as much to improve. The film, at times, does not think highly of its audience, often relying on voiceovers to relay information the general audience would have (or should have, if given the opportunity) gleaned from context clues and cinematography. It makes the filmmakers seem lazy and fails to elevate the film in the way it was intended.
The film is marketed as a Valentine’s Day rom-com, but it would only be advisable to see if you’re looking for a film with no romance and too many gory ways to use a bubble tea straw in a fight (although, seeing a mafia boss type constantly drinking boba is a lovely addition). Eusebio’s Love Hurts ultimately doesn’t hold up to what it promised, falling short of its mission to provide a fun, action-packed, alternative to Valentine’s Day movies.
