Love Hurts

Directed by Jonathan Eusebio, Love Hurts follows Ke Huy Quan’s mild-mannered Marvin Gable as he’s forced to dig into his past after a former flame (Ariana DeBose’s Rose Carlisle) comes crashing back into his life. It’s familiar territory that’s employed to sometimes watchable yet ultimately tiresome effect by Eusebio, which is a shame, certainly, given that the filmmaker does a nice job of initially drawing the viewer into the briskly paced (and thoroughly slick) proceedings – with the watchable atmosphere heightened by Quan’s agreeable, charming turn as the affable central character. (Sean Astin’s brief but memorable turn as Marvin’s Texan boss is a highlight as well, to be sure.) The picture’s turn from entertaining to tiresome, then, stems from an overly quirky, style-over-substance midsection that slowly-but-surely drains the viewer’s interest and attention, and it’s clear, too, that the rather (and palpably) repetitive nature of the narrative’s various fights contributes heavily to the exhausting, interminable vibe – which, when coupled with a climax that’s hardly as exciting (or satisfying) as Eusebio has obviously intended, cements Love Hurts‘ place as a disappointing misfire that feels like it should be so much better.

** out of ****