Love Hard review
Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang star in the Netflix Christmas movie, Love Hard. Image courtesy of Netflix.
Rating: that’s hot
Unlucky in love Natalie (Nina Dobrev) has made a career out of bad dates as the writer of a dating mishaps column. But when her friend expands the radius of her dating app profile beyond notoriously vapid Los Angeles, her luck begins to change. She matches with Josh, a drop dead gorgeous man who actually has a good personality. Tired of writing mishap after mishap, she convinces her boss to let her fly to Lake Placid, NY to surprise Josh for Christmas and write her fairytale ending. But when she arrives, Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) isn’t who he said he was, and she only agrees to stay when Josh offers to help her land the real guy from the catfish photos (Darren Barnet).
This is your typical Christmas romcom with all the tropes; trimming the tree, Christmas caroling, and lots of holiday cheer. It’s cheesy as hell and had plenty of moments that made my cynical self roll my eyes. But it also surprised me. Jimmy O Yang is the heartbeat of this movie and he gives a vulnerable performance that really pulls you in with his insecurity. His character is so relatable and even though he is a catfish, he’s too lovable to root against. This film touched on a lot of deep themes like defining masculinity, being brave enough to be yourself, and how stifling it can be to live in someone else’s shadow. If you’re looking for a funny, cheesy Christmas movie with a surprising amount of depth, definitely check out love hard, now streaming on Netflix.
Review by Zianna Weston
Darren Barnet and Jimmy O. Yang star in Netflix’s Love Hard. Image courtesy of Netflix.
