Netflix And Chill: Love Hard (2021)

Nina Dobrev plays Natalie Bauer, a young woman who writes a popular column about her disastrous dating life. Her luck looks set to change when she connects online with the handsome Tag (Darren Barnet). She's so smitten that she decides it will be a good idea to travel all the way to his home town and surprise him for Christmas. That's when she finds out that she's been catfished by Josh Lin (Jimmy O. Yang). Josh obviously didn't expect Natalie to meet him, certainly not yet anyway, and he's very different from the way he has portrayed himself in his photos. Maybe the two can help each other through the holidays though. Having Natalie as his girlfriend would help Josh look a bit better in front of his family during the holidays, and he knows enough about the real Tag to help Natalie get close to him, and maybe have the date she was so looking forward to. As comedy hijinks ensue, Natalie and Josh try to maintain their facade while being reminded of why they got on so well throughout their many text conversations.

A Christmas rom-com that actually does a great job of delivering both the romance and the comedy, Love Hard (the title coming from a difference of opinion over great Christmas movies) is a genuinely enjoyable bit of holiday cheer that combines everything you expect from a Christmas movie with some smart updates to the formula. This might be due to the fact that writers Daniel Mackey and Rebecca Ewing have very few credits to their name, which can sometimes be a major negative. Knowing the various story beats they want to hit, however, allows them to satisfy viewers seeking comfort while also having fun with a number of commonplace modern Christmas conversations (including the movie discussion, and how some people nowadays view the lyrics of "Baby, It's Cold Outside").

Director Hernan Jimenez keeps everything moving along nicely. Although not exactly swimming in baubles and hot chocolate, he works well with a script that nicely slots together the traditional Christmas movie elements (carol singing, time spent/stuck with a large family, etc) and the comedy. It's a film that doesn't need to spend much time outside the small town that Natalie visits and Jimenez doesn't try to awkwardly expand anything unnecessarily.

Dobrev is a cute lead, whether she's being adored by her main co-star or falling over in standard rom-com slapstick fashion. Yang is great fun, from the introduction that reveals his lie to a third act that forces both central characters to be more honest with themselves. Barnet is playing someone who isn't actually very interesting, and isn't actually the catch that some might think he is, and he does a good job, wandering through proceedings with an amusing lack of self-awareness. There are plenty of other enjoyable performances from everyone in a supporting role, but the obvious highlights are Matty Finochio, playing the wryly amused boss of Dobrev's character, and Harry Shum Jr., playing a sibling so awful that you just know he would be best friends with the character played by Adam Scott in Step Brothers.

It doesn't ever quite soar, despite coming close, but Love Hard absolutely does what it sets out to do. It's cute, it's quite clever in places, and it throws one or two attempted curveballs on the way to a comfortably predictable ending. An extra set-piece or two, some better use of the soundtrack choices, and maybe one more supporting character throwing a spanner in the works, and this could have been truly great. It's still good though, sometimes very good, and I wouldn't be surprised if some viewers consider it a new seasonal favourite.

7/10

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Netflix And Chill: Always Be My Maybe (2019)

You pick a rom-com to watch when you want something comforting and familiar. Always Be My Maybe provides you with all of those familiar comforts. The two leads (Sasha, played by Ali Wong, and Marcus, played by Randall Park) seem destined to be together, various obstacles get in the way of their happiness, and the finale allows for some last-minute reveals and earnest speeches. I am sure that cynical viewers will either avoid this entirely or watch it and then criticise it for everything that it gets absolutely right. Everyone else can have a fine time.

That's not to say that this film does everything in ways that you've seen before. Let me get the basics out of the way and I'll highlight a couple of key differences that put this in the upper echelons of the modern rom-com arena.

We first meet Sasha and Marcus as kids, fast becoming firm friends. Things keep going well until a tragedy leads to a moment in which they have sex. And it starts to unravel from there. Fast forwarding to the present day, we now see that Sasha is a very successful celebrity chef, while Marcus still living at home with his father (James Saito). Fate brings Sasha and Marcus together, of course, and then looks as if it is determined to keep them apart.

There was very little point in me even writing that briefest of plot summaries. This is about as predictable as they come, in some ways. There are other elements that add to the simple pleasures. A plot strand about Marcus still being part of the band that he's been with since his youth, and how he doesn't take the step needed to try and get them more exposure, works well as both an amusing "b-plot" and also a display of the main character flaw that affects his relationship potential. There's also a cameo from Keanu Reeves that sees him playing an exaggerated version of himself, pretty consistently hilarious in a scene which has him as the fourth person at a dinner table quartet.

Director Nahnatchka Khan impresses with her feature directorial debut (after a good bit of time spent working as a producer on TV shows, most notably on Fresh Off The Boat, which also stars Randall Park), helped by the sharp script, co-written by Park, Wong, and Michael Golamco. It may seem light and easy enough, simplistic even, but there's care taken to lift the material at every opportunity. First of all, and arguably key to the whole thing, is the Asian-American cultural filter that changes everything slightly. Although many have been quick to cite Crazy Rich Asians as the closest comparison, the differences are just as important as the similarities, with this film showing the experience of integrating into America rather than the experience of reintegrating into the traditions held dear by families who may resent some of the trappings of modern America. There's also the fact that this is a rom-com based on both leads feeling as if they missed a major opportunity. That may not seem like a big deal but, trust me, it really changes the feeling of the whole thing, especially when compared to movies that have a guy moping over his lost love as he tries to better his life, or a woman making big eyes at someone she has yet to confess her feelings to.

Wong and Park are brilliant in their lead roles, very easy to like even while showing their character flaws. Saito is very sweet and likeable, Vivian Bang is wonderfully offbeat as Park's girlfriend, and Michelle Buteau is the good friend to Wong who helps her and comments honestly when it's needed. Daniel Dae Kim does well in his small role, and I cannot even mention Reeves again without getting a big grin on my face.

Sharp, cute, sometimes very funny, Always Be My Maybe is perfect entertainment for those who are seeking something that will keep you smiling and give you a sweet love story without ever feeling too sickly.

9/10

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