Marvin is a Milwaukee realtor who receives a crimson envelope from Rose, a former partner-in-crime whom he left for dead. He now finds himself thrust back into a world of ruthless hit men and double-crosses that turn his open houses into deadly war zones. Hunted by his brother, a volatile crime lord, Marvin must confront the choices that haunt him and the history he never truly buried.
Director: Jonathan Eusebio
Cast: Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Marshawn Lynch, Mustafa Shakir, Lio Tipton, Rhys Darby, André Eriksen, Sean Astin
Release Date: February 7, 2025
Genre: Action, Comedy
Rated R for strong/bloody violence and language throughout.
Runtime: 1h 23m
Review:
Love Hurts boasts a game cast, led by an ever-likeable Ke Huy Quan, and some fun action sequences but the clunky executions keep this action comedy from hitting its mark. Stunt performer/Assistant Director, Jonathan Eusebio, helms his first film here and he clearly feels much more comfortable during the highly energetic and choregraphed fight sequences, but he struggles to find a cohesive flow and tone outside of those moments. The film moves at a breakneck pace which should work in its favor, but it doesn’t matter since the characters are written so cartoonishly over the top that you are left wishing Eusebio would just fully embrace the Looney Tunes madness. Instead, there's far too much time spent on a rather nonsensical love story that never connects the way it should despite Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose best efforts. André Eriksen and Marshawn Lynch prove to be a better onscreen bouncing off each other with ease as a pair of dim assassins. Mustafa Shakir and Lio Tipton also bring some fun chemistry together as another, more cerebral, assassin and realtor assistant who finds a weird sort of love connection. Ke Huy Quan is fully committed in the main role, and he brings his generally likeable onscreen persona to his reformed killer. Ariana DeBose is oddly stiff here, never nailing the funny cool vibe the character is supposed to exude. Daniel Wu does what he can in the villain role but there's not much there to work with outside of his perchance for revenge and love of boba tea. Love Hurts ultimately feels instantly disposable and forgettable once it’s all said and done.
C-
