The country is on fire in one section and freezing in another. We are in the midst of a hostile government takeover by a petulant child man baby and his tech bro cohort.
So what better way to forget it all, if only for 83 minutes, than by indulging in a witty kung fu, romantic, action comedy?
Love Hurts, the directorial debut of stunt/fight coordinator, Jonathan Eusebio whose action credits are long and extremely impressive. He has successfully flipped those talents into a well honed first outing heading up this fast-paced and goofy rom-action, comedy fu. The action sequences are tight and explosive. The camera work is stylish and kinetic, but knows when to hold on a fight sequence to watch the actors showcase their well trained skills. The comedy is perfect and all the jokes, both verbal and visual, land with expert timing.
At no point was I even remotely confused as to what I was in for.
This is a beautiful, unplug your brain, make sure your popcorn bucket is topped off, and your drink of choice is refilled to the max, stupidly wonderful film.
Quan plays Marvin Gabe, an unimposing, sweet, and motivated realtor who, when we are introduced to him, is prepping his next home viewing, complete with fresh baked cookies. Little does Marvin know but his world is about to be completely upended and front-snap kicked into chaos when his supposedly dead, former partner, played by fellow Oscar winner, Ariana Debose returns.
Seems like Marvin’s original life as a brutal hitman for his brother’s mob crew is about to smash its way back and into the peaceful life Marvin had begun after escaping his bloody past.
What follows is a non-stop, fury of action sequences, existential discoveries, bromances, and reunions.
Peppered throughout are these lovely and hilarious pauses of sweet reflection and unexpected romantic happenstances. Some work better than others but overall none of them ever really detract from the overall enjoyment of the film, as the audience I saw it with will attest to.
They thoroughly enjoyed it. Roaring with laughter at all the right parts and groaning at every bone breaking hit, kick, and slam. They all were fully invested in Marvin’s story and truly wanted him to succeed. This is a parallel I can’t help but make with Quan himself. His success is so well deserved.
The Renaissance of Ke Huy Quan gives me life.
As a fellow reviewer said as we left the theater last night after the screening of Love Hurts, “Imagine having the past 30 years of this guy around?”.
Yes, Yes I do.
I have always loved and admired Ke Huy Quan.
From his breakout debut in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to his final major Hollywood feature, Encino Man before his prolonged 20+ year long “break” from acting, I always wondered what his career would have looked like had he continued acting through the 90’s and early 2000’s. And I think it would have been not so great. As much as I love him I think his “retirement” was what makes his comeback so extraordinary.
In the early 2000’s he did some behind the scenes stunt coordinating and action sequences on 2000’s X-Men and Jet Li’s 2001 film The One. He also was First Assistant Director on Wong Kar-Wai’s stunning film 2046 in 2004.
As we all know it was his Oscar winning performance in 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once that marked the return of who I truly believe is the heir apparent to the Indiana Jones franchise.
It thrills me to see that he is back and back for good.
Ke Huy Quan’s sincerity and heart makes this bonkers film work. You forgive the preposterous story and the ludicrous dialogue because Quan’s Marvin believes it. He sells every cockamamie situation like the character he plays sells a house in this film; With his heart.
This film knows exactly what it is; Unapologetically ridiculous and fun. And I am 100% here for it.
In the best tradition of the Saturday afternoon Kung-Fu Theater TV shows, Jackie Chan martial arts spectaculars, John Wick shoot em ups, and Richard Curtis romanticals, Love Hurts is exactly what we need this Valentine’s Day: romance and bloody, bloody action. Two great tastes that taste great together.
* * * * *
Produced by Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Guy Danella
Written by Matthew Murray, Josh Stoddard, Luke Passmore
Directed by Jonathan Eusebio
Starring Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu, Marshawn Lynch,
Mustafa Shakir, Lio Tipton, Rhys Darby, André Eriksen, Sean Astin
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