This year has seen plenty of big releases, but not all of them received the same attention or praise. Back in February, just in time for Valentine’s Day, the action-comedy movie “Love Hurts” landed on the big screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of it (or actually seen it), because unfortunately, it flopped at the box office and received largely middling reviews.
Directed by Jonathan Eusebio, known for his work as a stunt coordinator and fight choreographer on “John Wick” and “Black Panther,” and starring the charming Ke Huy Quan, “Love Hurts” had all the ingredients you’d expect to be a hit. However, it only grossed $17 million worldwide and was released to rental streaming services less than 20 days later in hopes of finding a new audience.
Now, with its arrival on U.S. Prime Video, it has a chance to get the attention it missed earlier in the year. “Love Hurts” is the very definition of pure popcorn entertainment, and sometimes that’s all you really need. Plus, not every movie needs to be Oscar-winning material.
If you’ve seen “Love Hurts” pop up on your Prime Video suggestions, here’s everything you need to know about this action-comedy before streaming it (and why you should). And be sure to check out the 10 best new shows and movies to stream this weekend.
What is ‘Love Hurts’ about?
“Love Hurts” follows Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan), a former hitman now working as a real estate agent in Milwaukee. His quiet life is disrupted when he receives a Valentine’s Day card from Rose Carlisle (Ariana DeBose), a former associate he had left behind.
The message drags Marvin back into a dangerous world he had tried to escape. As he reconnects with Rose, he learns that his brother, Knuckles (Daniel Wu), a powerful crime lord, is actively searching for him.
Straddling the line between his past and present, Marvin must confront a series of escalating threats that put both his life and newfound stability at risk.
Should you stream ‘Love Hurts’ on Prime Video?
Not every movie is trying to be a prestige winner. “Love Hurts” falls into that category of movies that got slammed by critics when maybe it didn’t deserve quite that level of hate. Personally, I think it makes more sense to judge a movie on what it’s actually trying to do, rather than holding it to one rigid standard.
This Valentine’s Day-themed kung fu parody delivers exactly what it promises. It’s not subtle, revolutionary, or ground-breaking, but it’s a lot of fun.
This Valentine’s Day-themed kung fu parody delivers exactly what it promises. It’s not subtle, revolutionary, or ground-breaking, but it’s a lot of fun. The action and comedy keep things lively, even if the main relationship struggles due to almost non-existent chemistry. Somehow, though, that doesn’t derail the movie, because the whole point is that love itself is “ridiculous.”
When someone with real hands-on experience is directing the action, it shows, and in “Love Hurts,” that’s a huge plus. Nearly all of the movie’s impact comes from its fight scenes. The story itself is pretty thin, kept as simple and surface-level as possible. Almost every scene and plot beat exists mainly to set up the next fight. But if that’s your kind of fun (and you can handle some shallow characters and a bit of heavy-handed exposition), you’re in for a wild ride.
Of course, as mentioned before, “Love Hurts” wasn’t received well. It stands at 18% on Rotten Tomatoes from over 170 reviews, earning it the ugly green splat. However, audiences enjoyed it a lot more, giving the movie a decent 60% rating. It’s safe to say that this movie became a divisive one.
The audience consensus reads: “Love Hurts may not leave a bruise, but it’s a pretty passable date with a likable cast, fun fight scenes, and enough charm to overlook a thin story.”
Many critics have pointed to a disjointed plot and a failure to successfully balance its action and comedy elements. Comparisons to movies like “John Wick,” “Nobody,” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” have mostly highlighted how “Love Hurts” falls short of those standards (and I have to agree with this one).
Polygon’s Tasha Robinson summed it up: “There are a few stunning fight sequences in the movie — manic, all-out battles that recall Bullet Train, or some of the later, goofier John Wick movies. But all the scenes stitching the fights together are a drag.”
To be honest though, I share the same opinion as audiences on this movie. If you go in with the right expectations you’ll probably enjoy “Love Hurts,” and I don’t think it deserved the amount of criticism it got.
Thanks to Quan’s undeniable charm and a non-stop lineup of fight scenes and stunts, “Love Hurts” just about manages to rise above its flaws and deliver a genuinely fun, action-packed ride.
I’m confident “Love Hurts” will at least make an appearance in Prime Video’s top 10 in the coming days. The streamer has recently added other 2025 releases like “Black Bag,” “Last Breath,” and “Novocaine,” which have all made it into the trending list. So let’s hope this action-comedy has a chance to shine.
Stream "Love Hurts" on Prime Video now.
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