Directed by: Josh Ruben
Starring: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Jordana Brewster
Horror/Romance/Comedy | R | 1 hr 37 min
3 stars
By Reed Ripley
It’s that time of year again in the release calendar—a time where studios try to hit on the elusive formula of a Valentine’s Day movie that satisfies both halves of a couple. Historically, Valentine’s Day releases followed a very safe pattern of Xs and Os romantic comedies or dramas that prompted the more sentimental partner to drag their other half to the theater, but recently, that’s given way to genre-bending films that try to prompt interest from all audiences.
This year’s slate is maybe the pinnacle of those studio efforts, with Love Hurts (romantic-action starring Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose), Companion (horror-sci/fi-thriller starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid), and this review’s subject, Heart Eyes, a slasher/rom-com, serving as the primary holiday options. For Heart Eyes, it absolutely knows it’s intended purpose, for better and worse.
Heart Eyes is an extremely meta film—from the jump, it declares itself as both a true-blue slasher and romantic comedy, and it’s constantly in conversation with both genres, with mixed results. When engaging with its slasher roots, it feels much more natural, and particularly when it leans into its most obvious inspiration, Scream. The film’s structure (mystery killer in a wonderfully memorable mask, being meta in the first place, opening and ending with kill sequences, etc.) is overtly Scream-inspired, which itself is an open homage to the slasher genre. The kills are very fun and well-designed, and it’s easy to see a land for Heart Eyes to bridge the gap between Scream and something completely unserious (but still very funny and worthwhile) like Scary Movie.
Heart Eyes slips, though, when it tries too hard to transfer the same energy it has with slashers to rom-coms. The comedy part isn’t the problem—it’s legitimately funny, particularly when dissecting the idea of Valentine’s Day and tired tropes that accompany the holiday. It also injects physical comedy to some of the kill sequences that provides a levity and release that the Scream franchise doesn’t quite have, and it takes particular care to limit its kills to characters that are objectively annoying or rude, or who the audience has no relationship to whatsoever.
It’s when Heart Eyes earnestly tries to be a real rom-com, with a meet-cute, romantic tension and all, that it falters. Right after its opening scene, a fun and engaging 8-minuteish kill sequence, it goes straight into traditional rom-com territory (oh no, the attractive man that I bumped heads with at the coffee shop is actually a hired gun brought in to take my advertising job, and now I have to work with him!), and it immediately drags. It’s clearly off-balance in these moments and feels much blunter, even directly name-dropping classic rom-coms in what feels like a desperate attempt to get its intent across.
Regardless, its missteps aren’t detracting enough to keep Heart Eyes from being a delightful surprise and a perfectly solid date movie. If blood and gore aren’t a hard pass (it’s of the cartoony variety, though, so nothing too stomach-turning), then it’s worth a Valentine’s Day date—just make sure not to look too in love leaving the theater, lest Heart Eyes makes you their next target.
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