There are some great movies to check out this Valentine’s Day weekend. Love Hurts came out on Friday, Feb. 7, and it is an action-packed martial arts movie. The question is whether it’s something for the kids.
Love Hurts follows a real estate agent who is pulled back into a life that he thought he left behind. Ke Huy Quan excels throughout, and he is certainly a highlight of the movie. The storyline itself is nothing unique, but it makes for some light-hearted fun. I wouldn’t take the younger kids to see it, though.
Love Hurts age rating: Explaining the R rating
The official age rating for Love Hurts is R. There are many reasons for this, and it makes the movie unsuitable for the kids in the house. Older teens may find it suitable, though, especially if you watch the likes of Warrior with them.
Sex & nudity: Despite being a movie with the word “love” in the title, this isn’t packed with that much sex and nudity. There is a scene in a strip club, where there are strippers around. This means some women wear very little clothing. I don’t think this is anything that the kids haven’t seen before. After all, a lot of broadcast TV shows end up with scenes in these types of places.
Violence & Gore: This is a martial arts movie. That means a lot of action, and yes, it means a lot of violence. Marvin Gable has to go up against a lot of people as his past comes back to haunt him. That means hand-to-hand fights and guns being pulled out. There’s a lot of blood, and there is some focus on the gorier wounds that appear.
I’d say it’s on the level of earlier episodes of Warrior. It’s much heavier than we’d see in a Jackie Chan movie, if that was your initial thought for Love Hurts.
Language: The F-bomb is dropped multiple times. There are also a few uses of the S-word. The F-bomb is the worst of the swear words throughout. Like so many other American movies, the C-word is avoided at all costs.
Alcohol & drugs: We see characters drinking, but there isn’t the glorification of it or drugs. Honestly, this can become a teaching moment for some kids, especially teenagers.
Overall verdict: Who is Love Hurts appropriate for?
This is R-rated due to the level of violence and gore. If your teens can’t stomach that, then it isn’t for them. Otherwise, I would have watched something like this as a teenager, and I do think some 16-to18-year-olds are going to find it fine to watch. There are more violent shows on HBO and STARZ.
It’s not for kids, though. This is something to put on once the smaller kids in the house have gone to bed.
Love Hurts is currently out in theaters.