In the new action comedy “Love Hurts,” Marvin Gable is a realtor working the Milwaukee suburbs, where “For Sale” signs bloom. Gable receives a crimson envelope from Rose, a former partner-in-crime that he had left for dead - and she’s not too happy.
Now, Marvin is thrust back into the world of ruthless hitmen, filled with double-crosses and open houses turned into deadly war zones.
With his brother Knuckles (not the Sonic character), a volatile crime lord, hunting him, Marvin must confront the choices that haunt him and the history he never truly buried.
“Love Hurts” is an action comedy that delivers some truly over the top action and also blends in some romance, laughs and twists along the way. Now, can “Love Hurts” be on the predictable side? Sure. Is it also a fun watch? Also sure.
“Love Hurts” embraces slapstick-style action throughout the movie, which oftentimes can be very over the top. But, this is one of those movies where the over the top action works really well. A lot of the action can also lead into some very humorous moments.
A few of the action scenes do stand out and the ones that really stand out take place in either Marvin’s home and a house that he’s trying to sell. Most of the action can also be really fun to watch and can sometimes give you a slight chuckle.
The small romance subplot involving Marvin and Rose can be both entertaining and adds a nice touch to the movie. In some of their scenes together, Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose have some decent chemistry between them and it helps keep the movie going - even though it can be on the slightly predictable side.
The moments where Marvin’s brother comes into play can also be entertaining and some of the martial arts mixed into the action makes the action really great during a few scenes. Now, even though quite a few of the characters have their little moment to shine, the Ashley character (Marvin’s assistant) can get a tad annoying at times. A couple of her scenes that feature a hitman who’s a big fan of poetry (the Raven) are actually entertaining.
So, if you enjoy action comedies that feature some fun over the top action, make sure to check out “Love Hurts.” Also, for “Goonies” fans out there, this movie also features a mini “Goonies” reunion!
Cast: Ke Huy Quan (Marvin Gable); Ariana DeBose (Rose Carlisle); Mustafa Shakir (The Raven); Lio Tipton (Ashley); Daniel Wu (Alvin “Knuckles” Gable); Cam Gigandet (Renny Merlo); Marshawn “Beastmode” Lynch (King); Andre Eriksen (Otis); Rhys Darby (Kippy); Sean Astin (Cliff Cussick)
Writer/director: Matthew Muray (writer); Josh Stoddard (writer); Luke Passmore (writer); Jonathan Eusebio (director)
Trivia: This movie was announced to be in development in January 2024 under a different title “With Love” (changed to “Love Hurts” in October 2024). Ke Huy Quan first started studying martial arts as a child, when he trained in Tae Kwan Do to appear in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”
MPAA; Rated R for strong/bloody violence and language throughout (running time 83 minutes)
Ke Huy Quan first started studying martial arts as a child, when he trained in Tae Kwon Do to appear in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). He continued the practice into adulthood, utilizing it on screen in Breathing Fire (1991), and then parlaying it into a second career as an assistant fight coordinator and action choreographer on such movies as X-Men (2000) and The One (2001). He returned to working in front of the camera in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), in a role that showcased his martial arts talents--which he does again in this film.
Ke Huy Quan and Sean Astin had previously acted together in The Goonies (1985) 40 years earlier.
The cast includes two Oscar winners: Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose. At the 2023 Academy Awards, DeBose presented Huy Quan with his Oscar. The cast also includes one Oscar nominee: Sean Astin.
Jonathan Eusebio's directorial debut. Eusebio has previous experience working as a second unit director on films such as Deadpool 2 (2018) and Violent Night (2022), but this is his first film where he assumed all directorial duties.
Comments