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The Hating Game
There's an air of predictability to it, but 2021's The Hating Game is a stylishly written and directed romantic comedy with a strong contemporary slant that provides just enough twists and turns to keep it from drowning in it's initial predictability.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman work as assistants to the co-CEOS of a Manhattan publishing firm in a large office across the room from each other. On the surface, Josh and Lucy can't stand each other but the sexual tension beneath the surface is visible. The gloves appear to come off when Josh and Lucy decide to compete for a newly created management position within the firm, but we get the opposite as a lot of tension between Josh and Lucy begins to be addressed through multiple storytelling techniques.
Christina Mengert's screenplay, based on a novel by Sally Thorne, is smart and sexy and establishes almost immediately the sexual tension between the leads providing surprisingly little backstory. The setting is backstory enough...two people who have worked across the room from each other for years, sparks are bound to fly at some point, but the wall between Josh and Lucy melts slowly, it's not just knocked down in one climactic sex scene where they are trapped together, like the scene near the beginning where Josh strands them in an elevator and then stops things before they start.
It's established immediately that Josh is an uptight obsessive compulsive who dresses for work in schedules and keeps his desk immaculate. Normally, in stories like this, it is the girl who is established this way and I found this so refreshing. Loved the methodical melting of the Josh character where several of the aforementioned surprises come up and provide understanding of the character,
Peter Hutchings' direction includes some clever camerawork and the great work from his cast. Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell heat up the screen as Lucy and Josh. Also loved Corbin Bernsen as Josh's sexist boss, Damon Duanno as Lucy's co-worker, and Sean Cullen as Josh's insensitive dad. It's no When Harry Met Sally, but a lot better than I thought it was going to be.
There's an air of predictability to it, but 2021's The Hating Game is a stylishly written and directed romantic comedy with a strong contemporary slant that provides just enough twists and turns to keep it from drowning in it's initial predictability.
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman work as assistants to the co-CEOS of a Manhattan publishing firm in a large office across the room from each other. On the surface, Josh and Lucy can't stand each other but the sexual tension beneath the surface is visible. The gloves appear to come off when Josh and Lucy decide to compete for a newly created management position within the firm, but we get the opposite as a lot of tension between Josh and Lucy begins to be addressed through multiple storytelling techniques.
Christina Mengert's screenplay, based on a novel by Sally Thorne, is smart and sexy and establishes almost immediately the sexual tension between the leads providing surprisingly little backstory. The setting is backstory enough...two people who have worked across the room from each other for years, sparks are bound to fly at some point, but the wall between Josh and Lucy melts slowly, it's not just knocked down in one climactic sex scene where they are trapped together, like the scene near the beginning where Josh strands them in an elevator and then stops things before they start.
It's established immediately that Josh is an uptight obsessive compulsive who dresses for work in schedules and keeps his desk immaculate. Normally, in stories like this, it is the girl who is established this way and I found this so refreshing. Loved the methodical melting of the Josh character where several of the aforementioned surprises come up and provide understanding of the character,
Peter Hutchings' direction includes some clever camerawork and the great work from his cast. Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell heat up the screen as Lucy and Josh. Also loved Corbin Bernsen as Josh's sexist boss, Damon Duanno as Lucy's co-worker, and Sean Cullen as Josh's insensitive dad. It's no When Harry Met Sally, but a lot better than I thought it was going to be.