The Hating Game | Film Review

This is a weird one for me. I told myself I wasn't going to watch the film until I finished reading the book, but the beginning of the book put me off the film. So it took me a year to see the film, and at the time of watching the film, I had completely given up on the book. So you could say my expectations weren't high.

Lucy (Lucy Hale) and Josh (Austin Stowell) hate each other. When they both decide to go for the same promotion at work, they make a deal - whoever doesn't get the promotion must resign. But as the competition reaches boiling point, Lucy and Josh discover that sometimes, hate feels a lot like love.

I was really surprised by how much I liked this film.

The characters and actors have genuine chemistry, which makes them compelling to watch.

I only really enjoy the 'enemies-to-lovers' trope if the 'enemies' part is done well; if the characters are truly enemies. For this film, it worked quite well. The characters definitely genuinely hated each other... it was just over a bit quickly for my liking.

The 'enemies-to-lovers' plot loses its way, and leaves room for just a romantic story, and while this was a bit disappointing, the characters were strong enough to carry the romantic story and still keep things interesting.

The third-act conflict was believable, and while it was solved too quickly, it created a realistic amount of drama and tension between the characters.

Overall, I loved this couple so much that it made me pick up the book I put down a year ago. I finished the book in two days and a review will be coming soon! But I'd definitely recommend this film if you're in the mood for romance.

7/10