Review: Love Hard (2021)

-

 

Review: 🎬 Love Hard (2021)

A story that charms you with humor and keeps you with heart

 4.5 out of 5


Love Hard is one of those romantic comedies that succeeds not by reinventing the genre, but by respecting it. What surprised me the most is how carefully the film lays its groundwork. Story beats and character quirks are introduced early on, Natalie's kiwi allergy, Josh's earnest awkwardness, even the family dynamics that shape them are planted with intention. When these elements resurface later they feel organic rather than contrived. The film earns its payoffs our affections because it prepares us for the character development.

The characters themselves are drawn with more dimension than the premise might suggest. Natalie isn't just the unlucky-in-love columnist; she is someone whose cynicism masks a genuine longing for connection. Josh isn't merely the "catfish with a heart of gold"; he is a man whose sincerity has been mistaken for inadequacy for most of his life. Even the supporting cast, Josh's confident brother, Owen, Natalie's editor, Lee, the family members who hover at the edges are sketched with enough clarity that they never feel like cardboard cutouts. The film understands that a romantic comedy works best when everyone on screen feels like a real person.

What gives Love Hard its charm is the way it shifts between tones without losing its footing. The story moves between serious emotional beats and lighter comedic moments with a confidence that keeps us invested. The comedic timing is expertly executed by O. Yang and balanced by Dobrev's genuineness. The humor never undercuts the characters' feelings, and the sincerity never becomes excessive. Instead, the film invites us to care gently and gradually until we find ourselves rooting for these people not because the genre wills us to, but because the film has made their emotional stakes matter to us.

In the end, Love Hard is a reminder that romantic comedies thrive on empathy. It respects its characters enough to give them depth, and respects its audience enough to trust that we will notice. It's warm, funny, and unexpectedly thoughtful. A film that understands the value of setting things up early in a non-intrusive way so that when the heart finally takes center stage, we're ready to follow it. This all culminates at the end with a perfect scene set to the closing song by Bibio, Curls complementing the vulnerable moments that we are all hoping will work out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What to do to heal your thyroid

-
What to do to heal your thyroid So you have developed a Goiter.  What is a Goiter, well a Goiter is swelling of the neck or enlargement of the thyroid gland.  Perhaps you are just tired without reason.  Or maybe your skin is not healing the way it is supposed to.  My journey was largely ignored, or maybe better described as denied... by both medicine and myself. I went through a lot of self discovery before I developed a dietary protocol to treat my thyroid condition.  To be more specific, my thyroid and adrenal condition.  Of course, like most people, I added things to my lifestyle before I decided to subtract.  How could what I have been taught my entire life be wrong.  Well, through a lot of research I found that the fundamental beliefs that I had were entirely wrong. What were my symptoms Enlarged Neck Constipation Hemorrhoids Weight Gain Coughing Difficulty Breathing Tight Muscles Legs loosing hair and looking unhealthy B...
Read more

Why exercise is the wrong approach for weight management

-
Image
Why exercise is the wrong approach for weight management There were two times in my life where I focused on exercise consistently.  What I found was that the motivation for working out was different each time, but the fundamental beliefs about what exercise was and what it did was not understood. The Gym The first time that I got into exercising, I was 21 and I was going to the gym to tone and build muscle.  It was interesting in the way that I went to the gym with a friend and the support of going to the gym together was enough to keep us going.  This lasted for about a year and a half and we definitely built muscle and shaped our bodies.  During that time, I gained predominantly muscle weight and shaped my body in a very stereotypical way.  The problem was that when I stopped going to the gym, the body shaping was undone.  This was a lifestyle change that was unsustainable! Over the next 5 years, I would describe my lifestyle as ...
Read more

Natural DIY Laundry Detergent

-
Image
Natural DIY Laundry Detergent A simple natural laundry detergent that you can make at home. 3 (5 oz) Laundry bars , Fels Naptha, Zoat, Sunlight or 4 bars of Dove or Ivory 1 (3Kg) box of washing soda 1 (2Kg) box of borax 2 (1.13Kg) containers of Oxygen Bleach 2 Cups of baking soda Optional 1 container of fabric softner crystals Grate laundry bars with a cheese grater.  Mix in all ingredients in a garbage bag.  Tumble together until fully mixed.  Poor into a container for use.  Use 1 Tablespoon of detergent per full load.
Read more

Gluten, Grains, Brazil Nuts, Cast Iron & the Thyroid

-
Image
Gluten, Grains, Brazil Nuts, Cast Iron & the Thyroid Almost two years ago, I was living with pain every day.  I was masking the pain with Ibuprofen daily.  My dosage was increasing as the medication was becoming less effective.  I had just recently been diagnosed with a Thyroid condition.  I was told it was quite common, and there was no cause for concern, medication or surgery.  Basically, nothing was going to be done, and I had to manage the pain. About the same time, I saw a video series from Dr. Izabella Wentz, a pharmacist.  She had developed most of the same symptoms as me.  Her documentary was a multiple part video series.  In all, I think I spent about 10 hours watching it.  Most of the video series was not all that useful, but the 5th video had quite a bit about diet in it. One of her guests described the bodies response to Gluten as a immune response.  He described Gluten as a mild toxin.  When Gl...
Read more

Energy Elixir

-
Image
Energy Elixir   2 Parts Turmeric   2 Parts Ground Ginger   2 Parts Cayenne Pepper   3 Parts Crystalized Vitamin C or Lemonade Crystals   1 Part Black Pepper   1 Part Cinnamon Mix one or two teaspoons of the mixture with a tall glass of water.  You can add a slice of lemon and a teaspoon of honey if you like. The mixture is a source of nutrition for your Adrenal and Thyroid glands.  It is a natural anti-inflammatory that has benefits for your Endocrine system. I originally saw a version of this on the Dr. Oz show.  
Read more

Why fasting is the right approach for weight management

-
Image
Why fasting is the right approach for weight management There are two trends in fasting that seem to be prevalent today, intermittent fasting and time restricted eating. There are some difference between the two approaches, but the main goal for each of these approaches are about managing your insulin levels. Insulin and our diet Dr. Sarah Hallberg , an obesity doctor talks about insulin resistance as a early form of 'pre-diabetes'. She refers to insulin as the primary hormone involved in fat storage. When the insulin levels are high, the body can develop insulin resistance. Based on our diet, we can reduce our sugar levels, which will intern reduce our insulin level. According to Dr. Hallberg, our diet can be divided into three categories as there are only three forms of macronutrients : Carbohydrates  Proteins  Fats Carbohydrates as a macronutrient causes Glucose/Blood Sugar/Insulin to go up the most. Proteins have a more favorable insulin response. Fats...
Read more

Bone Broth and Fermented Foods

-
Image
Bone Broth and Fermented Foods I was watching PBS one morning and a Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Kelly Anne , was talking about immune disease and she basically disguised a eating plan as a weight loss strategy that can treat immune disorders . She talked about a 21 day protocol to reboot your gut and develop the conditions where healthy gut bacteria could thrive.  I modified her program to fit my lifestyle, what I took away from her program was that you should: Eat an animal protein at every meal Consume bone broth once a day Consume a fermented food once a day She also said to remove grains from your diet as there is no daily allowance of grains that your body actually needs.  I did not quite catch this point the first time through. I started making my own bone broth , it is really simple. Take a handful of bones, beef, fish, turkey, chicken, whatever, put in a slow cooker Add two teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar Add vegetables, perhaps fr...
Read more

Healthy DIY Toothpaste

-
Image
Healthy DIY Toothpaste A simple toothpaste reciepe that promote good health. 4 Tbsp of Coconut Oil:  Natural antibacterial properties 1 Tbsp of Baking Soda:   Mild abrasive, whitens, helps to neutralize excess acid 1 tsp salt:   Natural antiseptic properties (Limits bacterial growth) 20 drops Peppermint Oil:   Used for flavor but commonly used in treating gum ailements 10 drops Clove Oil:   Natural antibacterial properties (Kills bacteria) 4 drops Myrrh Oil:   Natural antimicrobial properties (Prevents spread of bacteria) Optional 5 drops Cinnamon Oil:   Used for flavor but helps to fight inflamation and viruses Mix together in a wide mouth bottle or small mason jar.  Refridgerate to return to a semi-solid state.  Dip tootbrush in mixture and brush as normal.  Store at room temperature.
Read more

Review: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

-
Image
Review: 🎬The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)  The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) – A Swashbuckling Tale of Vengeance with Soul  4 out of 5 There’s something refreshingly old-fashioned about The Count of Monte Cristo , a film that dares to embrace the grandeur of classic storytelling without irony or apology. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ timeless novel is a throwback to the kind of adventure films Hollywood once made with regularity—pirates, betrayal, secret tunnels, and sweet, calculated revenge—all delivered with a straight face and a twinkle in the eye, and a little dry comedy to round out the experience. Jim Caviezel, as Edmond Dantès, brings a quiet intensity to the role. His transformation from naïve idealist to enigmatic Count is not just physical—though the beard, tailored suit and cape help—but emotional. Caviezel plays Dantès with a simmering restraint, allowing the character’s pain and resolve to unfold gradually, like a chess mast...
Read more

Sleep, Caffeine & The Adrenal

-
Image
Sleep, Caffeine & The Adrenal I was being told by a Naturopath many years ago that the Adrenal Gland compensates for the Thyroid gland.  This was something that I always kept in the back of my mind. The first thing that made me think that I was going through Adrenal Fatigue was that my skin had become less elastic and I developed a skin tear.  The skin tear did not heal for over a month, I also noticed that a paper cut did not heal for about two months.  I began searching on the internet for "skin tears not healing" and "the Thyroid" then I started adding the word "Adrenal".  Eventually, I stumbled across a quiz from Dr. Jill , MD, that talked about the symptom of Adrenal Fatigue.  I found that I had the majority of the symptoms. These symptoms were different than the symptoms that were due to my thyroid.  I suspected that my Adrenal Function was giving out and could no longer compensate for my Thyroid.  After all, I had a lif...
Read more