As a child of the 1980s, I remember the first time I saw Ke Huy Quan. He was part of one of my favorite films—The Goonies. It was a film I watched repeatedly and have continued to do throughout the years.
But it was a while before we saw Quan come back into leading roles. He won Best Supporting Actor for his work in Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022, and since has had a few other notable roles. But this Valentine’s Day he’s back with another Oscar winner—Ariana DeBose—in a new action comedy that offers a different take on the typical holiday films. And Quan isn’t the only former Goonie to be featured in the film! But is it worth checking out? Let’s dive in.
As we open, Marvin Gable (Quan) is a successful realtor. He’s also a heck of a nice guy. He seems to live a quiet, unassuming life. One that’s earned him an award as Regional Realtor of the Year, an honor bestowed by his boss and friend, Cliff (Sean Astin).
But Marvin’s live wasn’t always so quiet. Soon, elements of his past—when he was a brutal enforcer for his brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu)—come back to haunt him. Seems his final job—to eliminate a thief named Rose (DeBose)—didn’t go as planned. When Rose turns out to be very much alive, Knuckles wants a word with his brother, bringing him out of his new life and back into his violent past.
Turns out Rose wants to re-connect with Marvin, too. She has a plan to that is meant to keep them from having to hide who they really are and to step out into the light. Will Marvin get the girl this Valentine’s Day?
This is a simple story that doesn’t waste much time. The film only runs 83 minutes, and of that at least 60 minutes of it is straight action. That makes sense with director Jonathan Eusebio making his directorial debut. Prior to this, he was a long-time stunt coordinator, bringing an eye for fight sequences to the film. And there’s plenty of sequences for him to ply his craft.
Quan is quite good in these fight sequences, too. So are many of the baddies in the film, including Mustafa Shakir and Marshawn Lynch. The fight sequences are well done, especially the concluding battle in the third act. But there is often too little plot to string them together.
There are still some good sequences. The squaring off between Astin and Wu is a fascinating back-and-forth, while Shakir and Lio Tipton have some fun sequences, too. The film is often at its best when Quan and DeBose are together. There isn’t quite enough of those sequences, but it’s still fun.
The film has a decent amount of humor infused in the action sequences. It moves along quickly and Quan and DeBose are characters you want to root for as the film plays out. I enjoyed the Goonies reunion between Quan and Astin, too.
Overall, Love Hurts is a decent action film that will make for a decent watch. Its story is too thin to be much more than a fun ride, but I liked the actors and the overall premise. It’s worth checking out, especially for action fans.
Love Hurts is now playing nationwide.