Ke Huy Quan has been getting a lot of love since his return to acting with Everything Everywhere All At Once, getting a role in Season 2 of Loki, among other parts. One of those recent parts is in the leading role of the Valentine’s Day action flick Love Hurts. Let’s take a look at 87North Productions’ latest project and see if a romantic action movie can work.

The Good

In true 87North fashion, the action is simply incredible. It’s creative, with props and environments being used during fights in clever ways, almost like what you’d see in Rush Hour. The martial arts are very well-coordinated, leading to an entertaining spectacle throughout. Every blow is felt enough to make the audience wince at times. This is the definition of fun action in a movie.

It’s also a rather funny film. Between the physical slapstick gags and decent sarcasm throughout, there are plenty of laughs to be had. Even just some of the wacky situations the characters find themselves lead to hardy chuckles from the audience. It all adds to how fun the film is.

There is a good amount of heart throughout the movie as well. Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of emotion in the film, especially due to the relationships between the characters and what each character hopes to gain by the end. There are touching moments between friends, love interests, and even family members. Giving the film emotional weight adds stakes to the conflict at hand and allows the audience to care about the characters, and Love Hurts definitely succeeds in doing so.

The performances from the cast are all great. It’s clear that all of the actors knew the silliness of what they were making and played into it, creating more hilarity and entertainment. They don’t let that distract them from the emotional moments, though, which still feel believable thanks to their talent. It makes one hopeful to see more movies led by Ke Huy Quan.

The Bad

This may be a Valentine’s Day movie, but the relationship between the primary love interests is lacking. There are a couple of other romantic subplots with side characters that are fine, but the main one just isn’t enough. There’s no real chemistry between Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, especially with their 20-year age difference. We also don’t get to see them spend much time together, so we don’t get to see their relationship dynamic. They even talk about their past together, which we barely see. We’re told about their relationship and we’re told they love each other, but we never really get to see their relationship on screen, which is a rough decision for a Valentine’s Day movie.

There’s also a bunch of backstory hinted at regarding the inner workings of the antagonistic gang, but it’s also not enough to get the full picture of who they are or what events took place before what we see in the film. They talk a lot about what happened before, yet we never really get the full picture. It leads to confusion at a few points throughout the story. It gets even more confusing when the characters talk about how the antagonists all work under the same gang leader, but some work for someone else who also works under said gang leader. It’s needlessly complicated for what’s otherwise a simple flick.

Conclusion

Love Hurts is not without its flaws and is far from something new or unique, but it is a lot of fun. It’s not the smartest story, but it’s not trying to be. If you want a goofy action-comedy with romantic elements, great fight choreography, and a tone that feels just plain silly, then definitely check this one out. It’s an overall enjoyable-enough time.

Rating: 7/10

Read Next: ‘The Fall Guy’ Review