Love Hard

"A romantic comedy about the lies we tell for love."

2021 1h 45m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 1,655

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An LA girl, unlucky in love, falls for an East Coast guy on a dating app and decides to surprise him for Christmas, only to discover that she's been catfished. But the object of her affection actually lives in the same town, and the guy who duped her offers to set them up if she pretends to be his own girlfriend for the holidays.

“A romantic comedy about the lies we tell for love.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nina Dobrev
Natalie Bauer
Jimmy O. Yang
Josh Lin
Darren Barnet
Tag
James Saito
Bob Lin
Rebecca Staab
Barb Lin
Harry Shum Jr.
Owen Lin
Mikaela Hoover
Chelsea Lin
Matty Finochio
Lee

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hernán Jiménez
Writers: Daniel Mackey, Rebecca Ewing
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hernán Jiménez, shot by Shane Hurlbut. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Orton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Priscilla Nedd-Friendly shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang and Darren Barnet carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A romantic comedy about the lies we tell for love.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt10752004 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hernán Jiménez directs. Shane Hurlbut behind the camera. Mark Orton scores. Priscilla Nedd-Friendly cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Directed by Hernán Jiménez, shot by Shane Hurlbut. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mark Orton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Priscilla Nedd-Friendly shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang and Darren Barnet carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A romantic comedy about the lies we tell for love.".
7IMDB entry: tt10752004 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "holiday", "ugliness", "online dating", "christmas".

The technical file

Cinematography: Shane Hurlbut
Original score: Mark Orton
Editing: Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
Production design: Patrick M. Sullivan Jr.
Costume design: Caroline Cranstoun
Makeup / hair: Joanna Mireau
VFX supervisor: Dave Morley
Sound: Craig Mann
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Love Hard (2021)

Also by

Hernán Jiménez

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Hossein2021-12-31
★ 8/10
As a wise man once said: "Anything you'd expect from a Christmas movie, no more, no less"
Alunauwie2025-11-11
★ 7/10
Love Hard captures the messy beauty of modern romance — where screens connect hearts as easily as they disguise lies. Natalie, a hopeful writer tired of failed relationships, believes she’s finally found “the one” in Josh, only to discover she’s been catfished. What begins as deception slowly transforms into an unexpected journey of honesty and vulnerability. Despite its lighthearted tone and festive charm, the film gently reminds us that love isn’t about perfection or appearances, but the courage to be real — because sometimes, the truest connection comes from the heart, not the picture. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)