WhenThe Hating Gamecame out in 2021, I reviewed it on Letterboxd and said, “The rom-com is such a lost art, and it saddens me to my core.” Ever since, I have hoped to see a renaissance of theromanticcomedy hit the screen to no avail. Not only that, butThe Hating Gamehas returned to popular culture with a vengeance, recently dropping on Netflix, where it immediately entered the top 10.
Alas, it sucks. A classicenemies-to-lovers storylineset in a publishing office,The Hating Gameleaves a lot to be desired in the domains of both romance and comedy. Here is how I believeThe Hating Gameand films like it are killing what used to be a beloved genre and turning it into stereotypical, borderline unwatchable slop (not to be dramatic).
The Hating Game
What Is ‘The Hating Game’ About?
Based on the novel of the same name by Sally Thorne,The Hating Gamefollows the turbulent and eventually torrid relationshipbetween Lucy Hutton, played by Lucy Hale,and Josh, played by Austin Stowell.The two polar opposites are forced to work alongside each other when the publishing companies they each work for, which represent rivaling ideologies, are forced to merge for economic reasons. Lucy and Josh often cause trouble at work, raking in HR complaints for their public screaming matches and prank wars.
However, things come to a head when a new promotion becomes available at the company.With both Lucy and Josh vying for the position, they agree that there is only one solution: whoever gets the promotion stays on, and the other quits altogether. Thus, the two embark on a journey of sabotage until one day they share an unexpected steamy kiss in the company elevator. Suddenly, everything changes, and Lucy and Josh need to figure out if the vitriol they feel for each other is really hate or something deeper.
Hating ‘The Hating Game’
I actually readThe Hating Gamenovel well before they ever adapted it for the screen. These are the kinds of things I did in my deep, dark youth, and I honestly still would. Anyway, all of this to say,The Hating Gamehas a lot more charm in book form than its screen adaptation was able to capture. There is a lot that bothers me about this film, but primarily,the leads have little to no chemistry with each other. In a romantic film where the whole point is rooting for the couple, it is hard to look past. It’s easy to invent chemistry in your head when you are, y’know, reading.
The basic plot ofThe Hating Gameis fine;it’s cliché, tried and true, and it usually works. There’s a brooding man and a girlboss girl. They hate each other. A bit of a love triangle, a bit of emotional “I never knew you had a dark family past, oh my god,” and then they kiss and everyone gets to go home in a tight 90 minutes.The Hating Game, however, completely misses the fun, stars a couple of people that seem to actually hate each other (and being there) in a bad way, and boasts a curiously long run-time. Not to mention, the entire thing is shot in a strange, corporate gray tone that makes you feel like you are watching an industrial workplace even when they’re not at work.
It’s not even so-bad-it’s-good, it’s just dull. Where is the spice? Where is the passion?The Hating Gameis clearly just the easiest, quickest, and dirtiest version of this story you could be without letting any actual passion or camp be marinated into the project. This is not what girly cinema should be — you’re making us look bad!
25 Classic Rom Coms That Are Worth Rewatching
Whether you’re in the mood for a love story, a lighthearted comedy, or a little bit of both, these films are the perfect escape from the daily grind.
What Is Going on With Rom-Coms?
I do not remember the last truly great romantic comedy to come out. Gone arethe days of Nora Ephronand Garry Marshall. It seems that what lies ahead of us is a lot of…this. Sure, there have been a few decent candidates in recent memory, such asPalm Springs,Red, White, and Royal Blue, or evenNetflix’s ownSet It Up. For the most part, however, there have been a lot of swings and misses.
Is it some sort of gender-based issue? I am hesitant to pose this as an answer, because we have more women-led and queer media than ever. Is it because you do not necessarily have to make good content anymore to find success on streaming services, and romantic comedies are famously formulaic and producible? I would posit this is a more likely explanation.The success of movies likeThe Hating Gameis actively preventing us from receiving higher-quality, more original romantic comedies again. They cannot keep getting away with this!
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Romantic comedies make us swoon, laugh, and see people fall in love. Some of those films have great, underrated comedy performances in them.
The Hating Gamerepresents everything that is wrong with streaming culture and the overabundance of “content” today(please note the quotation marks around content). It’s lazy. It’s lifeless. It’s nothingbutderivative. As an escapist novel, it works, but as a film, it fills me with seething rage. I hate you,The Hating Game! And there will be no enemies-to-lovers arc for us anytime soon.
