REVIEW: Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell Bring the Tension in The Hating Game
Two people who “hate” each other and end up falling in love is a common theme in many romantic books. In Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game, we find this exact trope play out for Lucinda “Lucy” Hutton and Joshua Templeman. Two work colleagues who simply can’t stand each other. It turns out their hatred may not be hate at all, but instead love. The book became an immediate bestseller and now Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell bring to life Lucy and Joshua in the new Vertical Entertainment’s, The Hating Game.
As someone who read the book, I will tell you I was not a huge fan of the story. I liked Lucy and Joshua, but these characters weren’t ones I was instantly wishing they would get together in the end. However, I did not have this same reaction after watching the movie. Directed by Peter Hutchings, the movie did a nice job telling the story and showing off the chemistry between the two colleagues. Hutching takes the time to focus on the tension between the two and creates a fun back and forth that leads to a well deserved pay off for viewers. He never diverts from their story allowing the audience to remain focused on their characters and their chemistry. This may be one of few times where I think the movie is better than the book.
Hale is the perfect choice to play the optimistic Lucy. I don’t know why Hale doesn’t star in more romantic comedies because she is wonderful in this movie. She has one particularly great scene about three quarters of the way through the movie that really sold me on her playing this character and instantly made me want to see her in more romantic comedies. Stowell is good as “stonecold” Joshua, but I can see why they initially wanted Robbie Amell for the role. I would have loved seeing Amell alongside Hale. With that being said, Stowell will have many swooning over his portrayal of Joshua. He and Hale have a nice rapport that almost jumps off the screen.
Fans of the book, and those who weren’t, will definitely enjoy this movie. Is it the best romantic comedy movie out there, no. Is the story fantastic, no. But it is the perfect movie to sit and watch with friends on a night in or by yourself when you are looking for something to just get lost in and be entertained.
Grade: B