Love Hurts and Heart Eyes Celebrate Valentine's Day With Violence (But Only One Works)

Two new movies combine romance and blood.

Many have noted how the frustrating death of the mid-budget movie in recent years has also coincided with less romantic comedies released in theaters - even as Anyone But You recently proved you could still have a big hit in that genre with the right elements. But still, it’s especially amusing to see this February not have any big new straight forward rom-coms opening*, even as we do have the simultaneous release this weekend of two big studio R-rated movies not only timed to Valentine’s Day but set on Valentine’s Day, both of which take rom-com elements and mix them with very violent and bloody scenarios.

*[I realized after I first published this I should mention Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, which is debuting this month - except it’s not getting a theatrical release in the U.S., where it’s a Peacock-only film. Which is pretty silly, given this is the fourth entry in what has been a very successful theatrical series]

Love Hurts stars the ever-charming Ke Huy Quan as a mild mannered reality estate agent who was once a vicious killer for a criminal organization. On Valentine’s Day, his old life catches up to him thanks to the return of the former criminal compatriot (Ariana DeBose) he’s long had feelings for. With her life in danger, he has to take up his old lethal fighting ways, while also finally seeing if there’s a chance for the two of them together.

Heart Eyes meanwhile is more direct in its self-aware approach, focused on two characters (played by Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt) very much playing out a full rom-com scenario, complete with a meet cute and a “Oh no, we’re work competitors” source of tension - except there’s also a deranged serial killer hunting them, who goes after couples each Valentine’s Day.

I’m a sucker for a good genre mash-up and so both these films have appeal to me, but unfortunately only one of them delivers, and that’s the very funny, very grotesque Heart Eyes, which fully embraces its “Jason hunts Harry & Sally” premise and benefits from two leads who would be a great pairing in a non-slasher movie version of this story as well. As for Love Hurts, you’ve got two very talented Oscar winners as the stars but it really doesn’t do right by them and they don’t have good onscreen chemistry - even while there is a subplot for two supporting characters that’s the better unlikely romance the movie feels like it should be focused on.

You can check out my full reviews of both new releases below.

Other Stuff:

For Nerdist, I recently wrote a couple of Marvel-centric articles tied to the debuts of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Captain America: Brave New World.

Check out my look at 6 MCU characters who should be brought back after long absences and my overview of every single appearance Spider-Man has had in animation (it’s a lot!).

But wait, that’s not my only Marvel-inspired story of late, as I wrote an article for Laughing Place about why Disneyland Resort’s Avengers Campus needs to put more characters into regular rotation for guests to interact with.