As a proud elder Millennial, one of my favorite pop culture moments of the 2020s has been Key Huy Quan‘s career resurgence. I was the perfect age for The Goonies and Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, so I grew up with Quan’s spunky persona. After bursting back into Hollywood with his Oscar-winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, the likable actor is back. His follow-up, Love Hurts, hits theaters this week. Is the action comedy a sweet spot this February, or is this love just too painful?
About Love Hurts
Love Hurts follows Marvin Gable (Quan). He’s a realtor, so you know what that means. He’s bubbly to an effervescent level, and he has a really hard time keeping people from drawing mustaches on his bus bench ads. He also just so happens to have a bit of a past. He’s coasting through his usual Valentine’s Day rituals when he gets word someone from his old life has recently returned from the dead. This is a problem, as he wanted to keep this part of his life in the rearview mirror.
Ariana DeBose, Lio Tipton, Mustafa Shakir, Daniel Wu, Rhys Darby, Marshawn Lynch and Sean Astin co-star in the movie. Jonathan Eusebio directs Love Hurts from a script by Matthew Murray, Josh Stoddard and Luke Passmore.
Sometimes, a good cast covers a multitude of sins, and it is really hard not to buy into Quan’s performance. As an actor, he always brings an infectious joy, and that is once again true here. He’s having a blast in this film, which feels like Everything Everywhere All At Once and John Wick had a baby. It’s a delight to see him handle the stunt work with such verve and power.
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Stealing Scenes
Quan is, of course, only one member of this talented cast, and there are certainly a few scene-stealers scattered across the story. Drew Scott and Sean Astin both drew gasps of delight from the audience for their relatively small parts. Seeing Astin on-screen with Quan is particularly sweet because … “Goonies Never Say Die.”
A look over Quan’s filmography is a reminder that stunts were, for a while, his bread and butter. He’s credited as an assistant fight choreographer on the 2000 feature film version of X-Men and was also on the crew of Jet Li’s 2001 film, The One. Luckily, the film’s pace feels easy for Quan, and he shines in the many extended fight sequences.
Love Hurts comes from director Jonathan Eusebio in his feature film debut. Eusebio is another in a growing list of stunt professionals making the jump to directing. The most notable, of course, are Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, who helmed John Wick and Bullet Train, respectively.
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The Shape of Its Script
It should go without saying that the action direction is the shining light in this silly but hard-hitting action comedy. The cast and stunt team thrive in the construction of these complex sequences, and Eusebio is certainly at ease with the subject matter. The action is violent and hard-hitting, but it’s an entertaining joy to watch, thanks to this talented team.
Unfortunately, Love Hurts‘ biggest struggle comes in the shape of its script. While the film tells a fairly common story — especially if you’ve watched mob movies — it leans heavily on voice-over far more than feels necessary. The tactic begins as a cute strategy to dive into Marvin’s character, but before long, the film goes through long stretches where the entire story is told through voice-over. Truthfully, it feels a bit lazy and doesn’t allow for some vital character development that is sorely missed.
Fun and Easy
When all is said and done, Love Hurts is far from a perfect movie. Though, despite some noted issues with the screenplay, I was able to throw those aside. I mean, it is impossible to hate Ke Huy Quan, thanks to his waves of infectious joy. Love Hurts is fun. That’s really what needs to be said. This is a fun and easy action comedy that might be just the ticket for a Valentine’s Day date night.
Love Hurts opens in theaters around the country on February 7, 2025.
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