Love Hard: A Kickstart to Netflix’s Holiday Movie Releases

Netflix kicks off their 2021 holiday collection with Love Hard. The romantic comedy stars Nina Dobrev, Jimmy O. Yang, Harry Shum Jr. and more. (Image Courtesy of IMDb)

By Isabelle Delostrinos
Culture Writer

It’s officially that time of the year, new cheesy holiday movies are back! First up, we have Netflix’s Love Hard. This romantic comedy joins Netflix’s growing list of original holiday movies. Last year the public was graced with The Princess Switch starring Vanessa Hudgens, A Christmas Prince, The Holiday Calendar, Klaus and more. The streaming platform is continuously building up their resume as a producer of content and not just a source for rewatching classic TV shows and movies. They are constantly demonstrating their ability to engage with every type of audience, this time trying to catch the attention of rom-com-holiday cheer movie lovers. 

Love Hard begins with an aerial view of sunny Los Angeles and an opening dialogue from Natalie, played by Nina Dobrev. Her never-ending quest to find her one true love has unfortunately become her brand as a writer for a trendy LA-based blog. Even her boss won’t let her stop going on horrible dates because of how well people engage with her posts. After she drags a stumpy Christmas tree into her one bedroom apartment, Natalie plops on the couch and opens up Flirt Alert. Surprisingly, Natalie finally comes across an interesting profile and ends up sending him the first message. And just like that, she’s found herself hopelessly in love. It only took the first 15 minutes of the movie for her to risk everything for this new guy. Could this finally be the match for Natalie?

Spoiler Alert! This movie may have a scene that could potentially put this movie on the map. Natalie’s progressive philosophy has grown a distaste for the 1950’s Christmas classic, Baby It’s Cold Outside. In recent years, controversy has stirred as many people started to really think about the lyrics of this song. What sounds like a dainty, romantic Christmas carol is really a man not understanding what consent is. As Natalie finds herself stuck in a caroling performance for the eldery, she’s forced to sing this song in front of a crowd. Her duet partner Josh, played by Jimmy O. Yang, begs her to go with flow and surprises her with a new, modern rendition of the song. Here’s a look at the first verse: 

I really can’t stay
No problem there’s the door
I’ve got to go away
I hear ya, say no more
This evening has been
Totally consensual
So very nice
I hope you get home safe tonight

What more could we ask of a 21st century holiday rom-com? A journalist with a failed dating life, living in the heart of LA. The difficulties of online dating. The emotional relief best friend who won’t let Natalie give up on love. An updated, millennial version of a Christmas classic. Even Natalie’s lack of enthusiasm for the holidays. Netflix really hit the nail for a cheesy, holiday rom-com. Love Hard was the perfect movie to kick off the holiday season on Netflix. After 2 weeks of releasing, the movie steadily kept its place on the platform’s top 10 list. It is projected that Netflix will be having about 10 more holiday movies to release this year, including The Princess Switch 3. Before even more cheesier and predictable movies come out, check out Love Hard to prepare you for this season.