Love Hurts Parent Guide
This organized crime/martial arts/rom-com offers plenty of comedy and a touch of romance but earns its R rating with a flood of profanity and a heaping helping of bloody violence.
Parent Movie Review
Sometimes, instead of picking one thing, people want a little of everything. That’s why there are sample platters, everything bagels, and Neapolitan ice cream. In its new Valentine’s season release, Love Hurts, Universal Pictures takes that approach, offering up a fusion of organized crime thriller, martial arts action pic, and romantic comedy all rolled into one.
Love Hurts features Ke Huy Quan as Marvin Gable, a nerdy and undeniably nice real estate agent being harassed by a vandal who likes to draw moustaches on his bus-bench ads. But mild-mannered Marvin has a lot hidden beneath the surface. He turns out to be a master of fighting with a violent past in a crime family, and his harasser turns out to be Rose (Ariana DeBose), a piece of a puzzle Marvin didn’t quite finish before going straight. This sets his crime-boss brother Alvin (Daniel Wu) against him in an unsurprisingly violent storyline leading to—what else?—a showdown pitting one man against about 15 opponents, followed by a final confrontation with the antagonist.
When watching the many fight scenes in this film, it’s hard not to think about Jackie Chan, the kung fu master who injected a fresh breath of comedy into the martial arts genre. Ke Huy Quan’s fights are almost as impressive, while also being funnier, with his nice guy persona interrupting the action in hilarious ways. They also turn out to be bloodier.
Like its protagonist, this movie doesn’t pull punches when it comes to violence. There are such grisly offerings as a person being shot through the forehead, another being stabbed in the eye, and a hand pinned to a table by a knife. There’s no effort to tone these down by having things happen off-screen; it’s all there in blood red living color. Concerned parents will also want to know that several characters curse almost constantly: I stopped counting F-bombs when I got to twenty, and that was only about ten minutes into the picture.
The actors’ performances are entertaining: Ke Huy Quan has been fun to watch and listen to ever since he played Short Round, the best part of the worst Indiana Jones picture, as a child. He still has that distinctive voice and a kind of charming goofiness that is a perfect fit for this character. Ariana DeBose, who deservingly took home an Oscar for her performance in West Side Story (2021), is skillful and convincing as the story’s provocateur, and the script, thank goodness, doesn’t leave her sitting meekly on the sidelines when it comes to fighting. Mustafa Shakir, whom you may recognize from Cowboy Bebop, has speaking voice to rival Morgan Freeman’s, and plays “The Raven” as an interesting, three-dimensional lover/poet/villain.
With all this fighting going on, Love Hurts still manages to pose a couple of meaningful questions, and does so without being heavy-handed: How do we make the best of ourselves without simply hiding parts of our personalities? Who deserves love? This film can be genuinely fun to watch, especially if you like rom-coms, enjoy fighting films, and have a stomach for bloody violence. But if you see it, leave the children at home; there’s just too much there that isn’t kid-friendly.
Directed by Jonathan Eusebio. Starring Ke Huy Quan, Ariana DeBose, Daniel Wu. Running time: 83 minutes. Theatrical release February 7, 2025. Updated February 8, 2025
Love Hurts
Rating & Content Info
Why is Love Hurts rated R? Love Hurts is rated R by the MPAA for strong/bloody violence and language throughout.
Violence: There are violent fight scenes throughout the film, featuring stabbings, shootings, punching, kicking, and plenty of blood. Characters are stabbed in the arms, abdomen, hands, and eyes. Characters are shot in the chest, shoulders, and head. Numerous firearms, knives, and improvised weapons are used. A severed finger is shown.
Sexual Content: A woman is shown in the shower from the shoulders up. A man and a woman kiss.
Profanity: There are over 100 profanities in the film, including sexual expletives, scatological curses, anatomical references, and terms of deity.
Alcohol/drug use: A few characters are shown drinking alcohol.
Page last updated February 8, 2025
Home Video
Related home video titles:
Manic action scenes mixed with existential questions are reminiscent of the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once.
If you’re looking for an action/martial arts movie with a more family friendly vibe, try the Marvel movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.