Love Hurts Movie Review

“Love Hurts.” It certainly does here if you’re looking for a love story. Why do I say such a thing? Because there’s a main love story being forced onto you, and there’s one happening organically.

I bet you can guess which one hits the mark. You know from the first few minutes that you don’t necessarily want to buy what they’re trying to sell you, but if you need a redirect from life right now, this isn’t a bad place to head.

Ke Huy Quan, who took home an Academy Award recently for his performance as Waymond Wang in “Everything, Everywhere All at Once,” is terrific here. Quan was Harrison Ford’s annoyance, Short Round, in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and Data in “The Goonies.” Honestly, he hasn’t changed all that once. You know that face anywhere! In “Love Hurts,” he’s Marvin Gable, a hitman turned simple real estate agent. Unresolved family issues with his brother Alvin ‘Knuckles’ Gable, played by Daniel Wu, haunt him when life is just about perfect. Luckily for us, things are going downhill for him, and we get to see Quan do what he does best. He’s not bad at comedy, but I want to see him kickass. Well, he does both of those very well in this likable movie.

You may tire of hearing the name Rose, played wonderfully by Ariana DeBose, but you’ll enjoy what she has to offer for the overall storyline. She is accused of stealing money from Knuckles, which becomes a big problem for her being able to live. Marvin goes against his brother and helps her disappear. She reappears with information on who did the stealing, and after having to be hidden, and hiding is not her thing, she wants revenge. Marvin steps in to help her again. This is where their relationship is pushed on us. There’s no chemistry there. But! His assistant Ashley, played by Lio Tipton from “Crazy, Stupid, Love” is getting plenty of action. She’s involved in a loving relationship you hope to have someday. She has fallen for Mustafa Shakir, who plays The Raven. They’re the perfect couple… not that you’d know that upon meeting them, which is part of why this movie is so entertaining. She has his number and controls the beast inside of him right from the beginning. I love it. They and the occasional cameo appearance are a delight.

There are some issues with the script. It can get stale at times. Overall, it can be enchanting and spirited, and it’s big on action and thrills. However, the age difference between Marvin and Rose is a gap more massive than the Grand Canyon. Come on! It’s time we have the reverse, but that’s me.

Come to watch sweet Quan do his thing, and stay to observe red-hot love blossom between two secondary characters.

Also, the soundtrack is quite good.

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