Writer(s): Danny Mackey and Rebecca Ewing
Well here we are with our second holiday entrant of the year, and it’s yet another one produced by Netflix: Love Hard.
Nina Dobrev is Natalie, an East-coaster who earns a living writing about her miserable dating life, which is a series of epic misfires. Then she swipes on Josh, and the two strike up an immediate connection. Without ever meeting in person, Natalie is certain she has found the man of her dreams. He’s intelligent, drop-dead gorgeous and single…what’s not to like?
So smitten is Natalie that she does what any normal girl in her situation would do: Boards a plane and travels 3000 miles to surprise Josh around Christmastime. She immediately learns that Josh isn’t who he says he is - instead, he used the picture of his good looking friend, Tag, to lure women to his profile. The two strike up an uneasy agreement: They will pose as an engaged couple, as long as Josh hooks her up with Tag.
On the surface, Tag is the perfect guy, and Natalie is sure that he is the one for her. But should she follow the man she fell for over text - Josh - or the man who merely looks good? (Unfortunately here, she can’t choose both.)
As expected, this one packs in as many holiday rom-com tropes as possible: Josh is in the shadow of his successful, and married, brother; he works for his parents, but is too afraid to tell them he wants to do his own thing; the “fake” engagement; Natalie’s final revelation; the woman who misses everything right under her nose; the jealous friend; and too many more to count. It’s as formulaic as they come, but then again, that’s what everyone is hoping for and expecting this time of year.
At least this one is TV-MA, meaning it is only suitable for adults. However, before you get excited with thoughts of seeing Nina Dobrev naked, or a lesbian tryst that comes out of nowhere just because that’s more your style, the rating is solely for language. Still it’s nice to see this kind of cheesy junk upping the ante and becoming at least a little more envelope-pushing, probably in an attempt to sucker in people who normally wouldn’t care about holiday fare (though it’s at the risk of alienating grandma).
I know “progressive” is here to stay, and I’m all for it, but Natalie and Josh feel like a more awkward, unbelievable pairing that I may have ever seen in a romance movie. It’s not that Josh isn’t likable, it’s just that he’s…not attractive. I hate to say it, but come on, the biggest appeal of these movies is to watch two cute people fall in love. Remove the “cute” from the equation and you’re just left with a tired retread of millions of other movies that contain no reasons for you to even watch it. And as shallow as it makes me sound, think about it: You know I’m right. He does have a great personality, and I do enjoy his character, but there’s just no way this relationship would ever work in the real world, because not only is Josh out of her league, but he also doesn’t have any money.
The cast is uniformly likable, and turn in performances appropriate of this kind of genre fare. Unfortunately, Kerry, Natalie’s best friend from LA, is completely wasted: Her character is genuinely funny (and the main reason for the adult rating), but her appearances are mostly confined to the beginning before she’s completely forgotten about. What is it with these movies always having one good character who is confined to precious little screen time? It feels like that’s one of the prerequisites for getting green-lit for a romance movie these days.
At any rate, this is yet another upbeat holiday movie, although the TV-MA rating might scare away those who prefer their winter movies to be squeaky clean. Assuming you can take a little bit of language, Love Hard delivers some genuine laughs; a fun, laid-back atmosphere; and a likeable lead. It also has a charming message: That love isn’t always about looks, it’s about what’s on the inside.
Keep that in mind as you force yourself to believe this pairing.
RATING: 6/10
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