In these stressful times, shutting off our minds, grabbing a big bucket of popcorn, and settling in for a good time at the movies is just the tonic we need. For the moviegoing audience, action comedies have been a favorite escapism for decades. It’s fun to laugh and it’s fun to be taken on a cinematic thrill ride. If a film can do both, all the better. Armed with humor and big energy, Love Hurts is a playful jolt of Valentine’s Day entertainment. 

Director Jonathan Eusebio is a former stunt coordinator who knows how to shoot action. As a filmmaker, he wants his audience to be able to see the results of hard work from his stunt team and actors. Getting good mileage out of this film’s fight scenes, Eusebio rightfully shuns the use of a shaky-cam style, allowing every action moment to be enjoyable and easy to follow. The audience will feel every kick, punch, stab, and shot, as the attacks come from everywhere and every object in the frame is used as a weapon. Besides the fists of fury that fly across the screen, attackers use tables, chairs, refrigerators, staple removers, and oversized cutlery. Don’t think that one is safe from a seemingly harmless cup of bubble tea. Boba straws can be deadly! 

The fight scenes in Love Hurts may be silly in the scheme of things, but these moments are expertly choreographed and extremely well executed. The film almost dares you NOT to have fun. There is so much skill and pure delight put into these moments, that the lackluster and underwhelming screenplay can (almost) be forgiven. 

With three credited writers (Matthew Murray, Josh Stoddard, and Luke Passmore), it is a shame that Ke Huy Quan’s first big lead role isn’t given a stronger foundation. It is to the actor’s credit that his charm, versatility, and undeniable star power do most of the heavy lifting. He is an absolute delight to watch. 

Quan stars as Marvin, an overly chipper Milwaukee real estate agent who enjoys a peaceful life. He works for a respected company and has a great boss/best friend in Cliff (Sean Astin, who might own the film’s best moment). His cynical assistant Ashley (a funny Lio Tipton) hates her career choices and always threatens to quit. As Valentine’s Day hits, so does Marvin’s past life as a hitman for his brother Alvin a.k.a. “Knuckles” (an always good Daniel Wu, trying to make something out of a nothing part). 

The overly convoluted backstory basically boils down to the fact that Marvin was tasked to kill a woman he was in love with named Rose (Ariana DeBose) because she was framed for stealing from Alvin. The intricacies of the plot and its connective threads are sloppily handled. Everything plays as if it was a bunch of ideas slapped together by the team of writers. For such a supposedly lite film with a short run time (only 83 minutes), the screenwriters tried too hard and threw in too much. 

Oscar winner DeBose is the script’s biggest casualty. The actress seems utterly lost as Rose; never finding the right tone and constantly looking like she is seconds away from asking for help with her motivation. It is disheartening to see a good actress so miscast, but this wasn’t the right fit for her talents.

As Rose pulls Marvin back into the orbit of his criminal brother and violent past, the former killer desperately tries to hang on to his new life. At every turn, Marvin’s hope for a normal existence is thwarted, as Knuckles sends his assassin employees to unleash the monster of Marvin’s past life. 

Ke Huy Quan is great in traversing the comedy, romance, and action moments with ease. His movie star charisma is evident from beginning to end, as he sells every changing character beat. Quan is so good he even makes the haphazard and unnecessary voiceover narration work. His excellent turn as Marvin is proof the actor has what it takes to be a successful leading man. 

Marshawn Lynch and André Eriksen are fun as two of Knuckles’ hitmen who have been partners so long, they bicker like an old married couple. Sadly, the great Rhys Darby is wasted as a character who does nothing to enhance the plot nor the film, but Mustafa Shakir is a standout as The Raven, a brutal killer who has come for Marvin and Rose. The Raven is stone cold ruthless, but his poetry (he writes as well) might open his soul to an unexpected love. Shakir is the film’s most unexpected performance; The Raven its best character. 

The love and the hurt of the film’s title get their respective dues. While the romance is hit and (mostly) miss, the violence is bloody, nasty, and exciting. The love scenes barely achieve a spark. The action is what gives Love Hurts its fire. 

Ke Huy Quan stands tall in this film. He will warm your heart, make you laugh, and have you in awe with his martial arts prowess. Love Hurts fails to give Quan the proper screenplay to compliment his talents, but through Jonathan Eusebio’s skill with action scenes and his lead actor’s dedication to character, audiences should find themselves having a good time. This one may not stick with you, but you won’t be upset that you saw it.

Remember, sometimes we just need to laugh and watch people fight. It doesn’t always have to be Shakespeare.

Love Hurts

Written by Matthew Murray, Josh Stoddard, & Luke Passmore

Directed by Jonathan Eusebio

Starring Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Lio Tipton, Mustafa Shakir, Sean Astin, Marshawn Lynch, André Eriksen, Rhys Darby

R, 83 Minutes, Universal Pictures, 87 North