Love Hurts
February 6th, 2025
MOVIE: LOVE HURTS
STARRING: KE HUY QUAN, ARIANA DEBOSE, MUSTAFA SHAKIR, SEAN ASTIN
DIRECTED BY: JONATHAN EUSEBIO
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 83 MINUTES
Nobody in Hollywood deserves more success than Ke Huy Quan. The Oscar winner’s journey began at just 11 years old, and while he’s part of two legitimate classics—The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom—his career path perfectly exemplifies the cruel rise-and-fall nature of the industry. His return is nothing short of joyous, first with Everything Everywhere All at Once, and now with his starring role in Love Hurts. Unfortunately, this cliched action-comedy doesn’t quite understand how to showcase Quan’s charm or make an action film exciting. Love Hurts is, in the end, a heartbreaker.
The main character, Marvin Gable (Quan), is the top realtor in Milwaukee—friendly to everyone, including his boss, Cliff (Sean Astin, a nice Goonies reunion), and even baking heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day. On this particular day of love, Marvin notices mustaches drawn on his advertisements and mysterious love letters appearing on his desk. Soon, he learns that an old friend, Rose Carlisle (Ariana DeBose), has returned to town. Unfortunately for Marvin, Rose’s return brings a group of hitmen hunting for her—and for him—all under the control of his ruthless mob brother, Knuckles (Daniel Wu). This forces Marvin to tap into his past self, kicking, punching, and breaking the faces of those trying to take him down.
Shockingly, Love Hurts is written by not one, not two, but three writers—Matthew Murray, Josh Stoddard, and Luke Passmore—and still manages to lack a solid plot. It feels like a movie that started with the idea of bringing Quan back as a butt-kicking action star and stopped there. Jonathan Eusebio’s direction tries every trick in the book, with fast-paced camera work, decent fight choreography that feels far from fresh, and humor that rarely lands. As a result, Love Hurts quickly becomes a rinse-and-repeat affair, with the first and third acts feeling almost identical.
What audiences crave from the action genre is not more of the same, but something unique. This film comes from 87North, the same production company behind John Wick and Nobody, yet Love Hurts falls far short of capturing any of the excitement or innovation those films offered. Even with a brisk hour-and-23-minute runtime, the film feels bloated, thanks to spotty editing, a jarring soundtrack, and a story that just doesn’t deliver.
In the end, Love Hurts fails to live up to its good intentions. DeBose, sadly, finds herself once again in a disappointing film, both in terms of the script and her performance. After I.S.S., Argyle, Kraven the Hunter, and now this, it might be time for her agent to reconsider. Quan remains the sole redeeming factor—his charm, fight skills, and witty banter with hired killers provide a few fun moments and some laughs. But ultimately, Love Hurts is misguided and forgettable. And that’s what hurts.
2 STARS
LOVE HURTS IS IN THEATERS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7TH, 2025
Written by: Leo Brady
