‘Love Hurts’ review: Ke Huy Quan’s second act starts strong

Hollywood’s latest comeback story is bubbly and good at beat-downs in the scrappy action/comedy Love Hurts.

The story of Ke Huy Quan is so interesting and heartwarming, you’d imagine Hollywood is frothing at the mouth to turn it into a biopic. After starring in two back-to-back blockbusters that would become treasured classics (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies), Quan struggled to find consistent work in front of a camera. But he kept his passion alive, studying film at the University of Southern California and dabbling in stunt work through the 2000s. Then came Everything Everywhere All at Once which, on top of being an era-defining picture, somehow showcased all of Quan’s talents as an actor and performer. The doors in Quan’s career path reopened and Hollywood was ready to see what he could do. It’s rare for any actor to get the chance at a second first impression, but Love Hurts is just that: a reintroduction to Ke Huy Quan.

Second chances are actually a prominent theme in Love Hurts. It follows Marvin (Quan), a peppy realtor who loves finding people homes almost as much as he loves giving inspiring speeches about life. Then after receiving a mysterious card on Valentine’s Day, Marvin is suddenly attacked by knife-wielding assassin The Raven (Mustafa Shakir) who’s looking for another old friend of theirs. That would be Rose (Ariana DeBose), Marvin’s old flame who betrayed his crime boss brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu) years ago when the pair were beating up other thugs. Now Marvin has to evade Knuckles, his assistant (Cam Gigandent), and two bumbling lackeys (Marshawn Lynch and André Eriksen) while deciding whether or not to embrace his violent past or run to a peaceful future.

Demo reel.

It sounds crazy to call the performance of a 53-year-old Academy-Award winning actor a “demo reel,” but that’s the best way to describe Quan in Love Hurts. His work here features all of the qualities he can bring to any production: fight choreography, energy, presence, dramatic acting, and comedic timing. Quan does most of these things rather well, especially the fight choreography. He (and the stunt team) get Marvin to jump around sets looking light as a feather while delivering each punch with the right intensity. There’s a touch of Jackie Chan-energy to Quan’s fights, with a stop-start delivery to the hard hits that add comedic punches to the absurdity of the physical punches. Its likely Quan used his connections in the stunt world to bring in quality doubles and choreographers from high-budget projects (Skyfall, John Wick: Chapter 4, The Matrix Resurrections) to bring some looney creativity to a low-budget R-rated romp.

But Love Hurts isn’t just a stunt show for Quan, as he tries to balance comedy and drama in a leading role. The tone of Love Hurts is mostly comedic, but it’s odd that Quan is mostly the straight man reacting to all the wackiness happening around him. When Quan is moving and fighting, he’s golden, but something about his dramatic moments clash with the rest of Love Hurts. It’s not bad, for the record. Quan knows how to show the tension and conflicted emotions battling inside of Marvin, but director Jonathan Eusebio (also a stunt coordinator) misreads a few key opportunities. There’s actually two moments that illustrate this problem: one involving Marvin yelling at himself in the mirror in a fit of shock and rage, the other when Marvin finally confronts Knuckles and dramatically (but silently) removes his glasses ready for the final confrontation. Quan’s conflicted and stressed yell hits a very sour note, but him using nothing but his face to convey a reluctant acceptance of his bruising skillset is the true showcase of his acting skills.

A crowded quarrel.

You’d probably think the supporting cast list of Love Hurts reads like a Mad Lib for the random collection of stars here. Not only is the casting scattershot, but so is the quality of acting. It’s a wild coincidence that Quan is not only acting opposite a fellow supporting acting Oscar-winner, but also the person who said his name as the winner of said Oscar. What’s even more wild is the total lack of chemistry DeBose and Quan have with each other. Maybe its the age difference (she’s nearly 20 years his junior) or maybe it’s her staying loose and comedic while he plays things straight, but the two just do not click together in any scene they share. It’s likely why DeBose can’t find her footing in the rest of the picture either, not getting a decent fight scene or any meaningful dramatic scene on her own to get us invested in her character.

You know who does get an impactful monologue? Sean Astin, of all people, playing Marvin’s real estate boss who has all of two scenes in the whole movie. And even more shocking? Astin delivers a heartfelt account of how much Marvin and his second chance at life means to him despite wearing a cowboy hat (the movie takes place in Wisconsin) and two jackets. Speaking of ridiculous presences, Super Bowl champion Lynch steals nearly every scene he’s in with dry humor and his hulking physical presence. Wu also has an intimidating presence in the film even with a goofy running gag involving boba tea. This all feels like a prime B-movie cast with names you’d find on an old VHS tape in the back of a video store. It’s just random enough to get you to stop and look again to see if your eyes are right, but the crew matches the movie’s wild energy.

The bottom line.

Love Hurts isn’t the most technically competent movie, but its spirit goes a long way. It’s easy to forgive a routine plot and some light missteps in execution when the highs are this high. The action is a treat for fans of goofiness and gore alike, while the cast knows exactly what they’re in and presents accordingly. And then there’s Quan, who proves himself ready to take on almost any type of movie he can find in the future. Whether you need someone who can touch hearts or throw hands, Quan is your man.

Love Hurts is now playing in theaters everywhere. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures. Read more reviews by Jon Winkler here.