--- title: "Love Hurts: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/love-hurts/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/love-hurts" critics_score: 36 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Love Hurts (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 36 from 20 reviews: 1 positive, 6 mixed, 13 negative. Most critics find Love Hurts a disappointing action comedy, with Ke Huy Quan’s warmth, comic timing and physical agility doing much of the work. Praise clusters around his performance and the fight choreography, which several reviews describe as inventive, playful and crisply staged. Even many negative reviews find something to enjoy in the action, but the prevailing view is that the writing gives the cast too little to work with. Reservations centre on muddled plotting, heavy exposition, weak comedy and an unconvincing romance. The spread runs from mild enjoyment to outright dismissal, with the fights themselves proving divisive: Variety finds them conspicuously rehearsed, while Vulture calls them predictable and unexciting. Paste offers the clearest positive dissent, finding Quan’s appeal and the entertaining choreography enough to sustain a reasonably pleasant film despite a sluggish second act. The more receptive reviews still acknowledge uneven pacing or a shaky script. ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating C+. 6 February 2025. Oller finds the film endearingly silly but says its serious crime-family plot becomes tiring and generic. He praises the comic action, especially the playful fight scenes and inventive weapons. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/love-hurts-review) ## Slant Magazine — Kyle Turner Rating 2.5/4. 6 February 2025. Turner finds the film patchy but engaging, with Ke Huy Quan’s earnest performance and the action providing its strongest elements. He particularly praises Jonathan Eusebio’s inventive fight choreography and eye for idiosyncratic details. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-ariana-debose/) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating C-. 6 February 2025. Erbland finds the film a disappointing showcase for Ke Huy Quan, with muddled plotting and underwhelming action. She singles out the Ashley and Raven subplot as a rare highlight. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-1235091414/) ## Radio Times — Kevin Harley Rating 2/5. Harley finds the film fitfully fun but slapdash, and says Ke Huy Quan deserves a more fully developed vehicle. He praises Quan’s warmth and comic timing as the film’s main strength. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7vhiyk/love-hurts) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Nugent finds that the film falls short of its potential, with slick action but little comedy and an overcomplicated plot. He praises Ke Huy Quan’s charisma and agility, while faulting the film for failing to make full use of his talents. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/love-hurts/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. The standfirst presents the film as a formulaic actioner rather than a distinctive one. It singles out Ke Huy Quan as a mild-mannered former hitman, but the review body is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/love-hurts-review/5201631.article) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Nicholson finds the film a misfire, with unconvincing romance and muddled plotting outweighing its occasional energy. She praises the crisp early style and inventive fight choreography, and singles out Ke Huy Quan’s endearing charm. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-02-06/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-ariana-debose-sean-astin) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Scheck finds the film’s mix of action, romance and comedy unsuccessful. He praises the well-orchestrated fight scenes, while noting they lack visceral impact. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-ariana-debose-1236127754/) ## Little White Lies — Marina Ashioti Rating 2/1/1. 7 February 2025. A sharply negative verdict: the film is uninspired, with lazy writing and little character depth. The critic gives some credit to the practical stunt work, but says it cannot compensate for the exhausting exposition and bland settings. [Read the review](https://www.lwlies.com/reviews/love-hurts) ## The Guardian — Ryan Gilbey Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Gilbey finds the film a derivative, confused and largely lifeless action-romcom. He praises the fight sequences as its most assured moments, but faults their bland settings and the dull material between them. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/06/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-ariana-debose) ## Time Out — Elizabeth Weitzman Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Weitzman finds the action-romance fatiguingly outdated and a mess. She says the winning performances by Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose get lost in it. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/love-hurts-2025) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Debruge finds the film a strained, implausible action comedy with a woefully underwritten lead role. He criticizes the choreography for feeling conspicuously rehearsed and the romance for failing to establish believable chemistry. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/love-hurts-review-1236298598/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 7 February 2025. Ebiri finds the film thoroughly uninvolving and says it feels like a movie stripped of its substance. He particularly criticizes the predictable, unexciting fight scenes and the thin story surrounding them. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-love-hurts-with-ke-huy-quan-is-not-even-a-movie.html) ## Paste — Matthew Jackson Rating 6.8. 6 February 2025. Jackson finds the film an uneven but reasonably pleasant action comedy, with Ke Huy Quan’s appeal helping it survive a sluggish second act. He praises Quan’s graceful performance and the crisp, entertaining fight choreography. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/love-hurts/love-hurts-review-key-huy-quan-action-comedy-ariana-debose-daniel-wu) ## The Playlist — Chase Hutchinson Rating C+. 6 February 2025. The critic finds the film an uneven but intermittently enjoyable action comedy, buoyed by its leads. He praises Ke Huy Quan’s committed action work and Marshawn Lynch’s scene-stealing presence, while faulting the shaky script and stretches of exposition. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-kicks-ass-but-its-marshawn-lynch-who-steals-this-so-so-show-20250206/) ## /Film — Witney Seibold Rating 5/10. 6 February 2025. Seibold finds the film affable but unfunny, with sluggish pacing and too much exposition. He praises Ke Huy Quan’s appealing, relatable performance in his first leading role. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1782173/love-hurts-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 7 February 2025. The critic finds the film a harmless, mostly generic action rom-com that underwhelms as a romance. They praise Ke Huy Quan’s appealing performance and the inventive, well-filmed fight choreography. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-ariana-debose/) ## Collider — Nate Richard Rating 4/10. 6 February 2025. Richard finds the action comedy disappointing, saying its weak writing and editing waste the cast's potential. He praises the creative fight scenes and Ke Huy Quan's convincing action performance. [Read the review](https://collider.com/love-hurts-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. Hammond finds the film forgettable, with leaden dialogue and little chemistry between its stars. He praises Ke Huy Quan’s martial-arts performance and the steady stream of choreographed fight sequences. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/02/love-hurts-review-ke-huy-quan-valentine-kicks-iolent-stunt-filled-action-flick-1236280304/) ## Polygon — Tasha Robinson Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2025. The critic finds the film a weak, largely flavorless action comedy whose story and romance fail to engage. She praises Ke Huy Quan’s sincerity and comic skill, along with several striking fight sequences. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/review/520166/love-hurts-ke-huy-quan-movie-martial-arts/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/love-hurts.md