Romance movies either make the audience feel all the feelings or make them roll their eyes. Love Hurts, the latest romantic drama directed by Jonathan Eusebio, is somewhere in between. It has some entertaining moments, but the film often falls into predictable patterns, and its execution is between engaging and lacking.
The flow of the movie is also a bit off; it starts strong with a good attention-grabbing opening, but the second half seems to rush through important emotional moments. The action scenes are visually appealing, but sometimes they take away from the emotional story instead of adding to it; this makes the movie feel like it needs to be a better mix of emotion and action.
The main character in the film is Marvin Gable, who is played by Ke Huy Quan; he is an old stuntman wrestling with his past while working towards redemption. In the middle of his struggles, he comes across Rose, played by Arianna DeBose, which lights a new romantic spark. The chemistry between them is obvious, but his unresolved issues cast a shadow over their new relationship; this creates a somewhat interesting blend of action and romance. Even though the movie’s premise is intriguing, the film leans heavily on overused clichés, which feel the same as many action romance movies that have come before Love Hurts.
One of the main shortcomings in Love Hurts is the character development. Marvin is supposed to be a complex character with a deep background, but his story feels flat, as if something is missing, lacking enough emotional depth to connect with the audience. Ke Huy Quan has phenomenal acting skills, but it feels as if the script doesn’t let him explore his character fully. Throughout the movie, Rose brings her energy and charm into the role; however, she mostly sticks to the typical love interest character and doesn’t branch out to do anything different or unique with her part.
The other cast members add a few funny moments, especially Rhys Darby and Marshawn Lynch, although their jokes don’t help move the story along or make it better.
Even with its imperfections, Love Hurts has some brighter spots. The cinematography is impressive, and the director’s touch keeps the action bits lively. The soundtrack is mostly a mix of modern and classic songs. It adds a nice touch to the movie but gets boring at times.
Love Hurts is a mediocre movie that hardly adds anything new to the action romance genre. Fans of the actors might enjoy watching it more, but if you’re looking for something more exciting or emotional, you might be let down. If you want a fun movie with moderate action and baseline romance, it’s worth watching, but don’t expect anything super original or groundbreaking.
