Love Hard Parent Guide

Natalie has a terrible love life. It’s so bad that she’s turned her dating disasters into a career, retelling her stories in the column “Always a Bridesmaid”. Then, while swiping her way through a dating app, her luck changes. She matches with Josh, a handsome, sensitive guy in New York, and they proceed to text and call, sharing their memories and interests and building a heartfelt relationship. Determined to be spontaneous for once (and to get a killer article about a good romantic relationship) the California girl hopes on a plane to surprise Josh for Christmas.

There are surprises aplenty when Natalie turns up at the Lin family home, and not just for Josh. Natalie is horrified to learn that she’s been catfished. Josh, who is a stereotypical nerd with big glasses, has been hiding behind photos of his old friend, Tag, a hunky outdoorsman. When Natalie storms out of the house, Josh proposes a deal: if she pretends to be his girlfriend until Christmas, he will help her meet Tag. In fact, since he’s known Tag since childhood, he’ll help coach Natalie in rock climbing and the works of Thoreau so she can be irresistible to the hot, humorless rock climber. Natalie agrees, and the charade begins…

It’s pretty obvious that the overarching theme of Love Hard is honesty. Josh’s deceit kicks off the plot and he only ramps it up by suggesting the bogus relationship and then proposing to Natalie, trapping her in a fake engagement. But Natalie is no stranger to dishonesty herself. One of the most interesting questions arising from the movie is the relative deceit of the parties. Who’s being the most dishonest – Josh who assumed a false face while being his real self or Natalie who is in her own skin but is lying about her personality and interests to catch Tag? When the truth comes out (as you know it will), Tag berates Natalie for catfishing him, forcing her to examine her own proclivity for judging other people’s dishonesty without adequately assessing her own behavior. Love Hard is not a particularly original film, but this issue is well handled and its treatment here can give rise to useful discussions with teenagers about dating ethics and personal integrity.

As for whether teens should watch the movie, that will depend on parental movie standards. There is no sex and little violence (although Natalie hits Josh with the baby Jesus from the front yard nativity, which might upset religious viewers). Of the movie’s completely unnecessary 53 swear words, 33 are terms of deity. The real issue here is alcohol, which is consumed in almost every social situation. There’s also a scene where Natalie is stoned – she used pot off screen to relax enough to get on to a bobsled with Tag.

As for overall quality, Love Hard sits on the higher end of the rom-com scale. Now, that’s not a high bar – the genre is notorious for predictable plots, low production values, and hammy acting. Thankfully, these production values are good and there are plenty of jokes that actually land. Jimmy Yang brings an endearing vulnerability to his portrayal of Josh and Harry Shum Jr happily chews the scenery in his role as Josh’s narcissistic, attention-seeking older brother. (In a bonus for minority representation, most of the characters in the film are matter-of-factly Asian or biracial.) This movie isn’t earth-shattering but it’s a tribute to families and a reminder that love is more than skin deep.