MOVIE REVIEW: HEART EYES (R)
I can’t think of a more entertaining Valentine’s Day-centric movie in recent memory than “Heart Eyes.” This is a film that will be of particular interest to those couples out there that incessantly argue over whether they’re going to go see a romantic comedy or a horror flick on Cupid’s big day because as it happens, this amusing movie manages to be both at the same time. It’s like an 80s/90s slasher walked smack dab into the middle of a rom-com. In theory, it really shouldn’t work at all, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t.
“Heart Eyes” opens on the slasher side of things by introducing us to a masked killer who, we’re told, visits various cities and murders random couples on Valentine’s Day. After a brutal opening establishes what the Heart Eyes killer is capable of, the film switches gears and throws us into romcom terrain by introducing us to Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt), an unlucky-in-love independent woman who finds herself clashing with new boss Jay Simmonds (Mason Gooding.) Following a slightly volatile dinner/ business meeting, Ally spots her ex in the arms of his latest soulmate so to make him jealous, she plants a kiss on an unsuspecting Jay. Unbeknownst to her, the Heart Eyes killer sees them kiss and targets the non-pair thinking that they’re a couple. As expected, carnage and hilarity ensues.
The slasher aspect of “Heart Eyes” certainly functions as a whodunnit reminiscent of “Scream” as well as director Josh Ruben’s last film, the creative werewolf romp, “Werewolves Within.” At the same time, this movie gamefully pays homage to nearly every romcom trope you can shake a stick at, making for a very entertaining hybrid. It’s the ultimate Meet Cute. In fact, this is one of the better romcoms I’ve seen in a while and as a slasher, I actually preferred this to the last two “Scream” entries. What’s more, as a slice of holiday horror, it’s vastly superior to Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving” because the horror and humor work in much stronger harmony.
Even though the proceedings here do tend to get somewhat brutal at times (keep in mind that this movie is R rated for a reason), “Heart Eyes” manages to steer clear of descending into a swamp of doom, gloom, and nihilism. On the contrary, it offers an oddly light touch that lands it more in the “Happy Death Day” and “The Final Girls” camp, and a great deal of that has to do with the romcom side of things.
“Heart Eyes” certainly isn’t without its flaws. The whodunnit may not work for everyone (I kind of liked it) and some might find the proceedings a little too precious when it comes to the fashion in which it wears its plethora of influences proudly on its sleeve but honestly, I had a really good time with this movie. The leads are appealing and the film is well paced. It’s an affectionate love letter to the kinds of flicks that director Josh Ruben holds dear. Further still, the proceedings are energetic, silly, gleefully gory, and, yes, even romantic.
If you and the one you care most about enjoy romcoms and can handle the extremities that come with the quintessential R-rated slasher film, this is just the right flick to see on Valentines Day, or on date night for that matter. At the very least, you can bet that “Heart Eyes” is going to be my traditional go to every February 14th! Just don’t tell my wife because I haven’t told her yet.
