Hulu just added the 2021 romcom, The Hating Game, staring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell. The movie is based on the 2016 smash success book of the same name by Sally Thorne, which BookTok has recently boosted in popularity.
The general plot of both follows two co-workers at a publishing company, Lucy and Josh, who were forced together when their companies merged and have apparently hated each other ever since. However as the leads battle it out for the same promotion and drama ensues, they begin to question just how thin is the line between love and hate?
Personally, I really loved the book, which to be transparent I did read before seeing the movie. I felt it was paced well, filled with amazing detail and had a very strong ending. As someone who reads a good bit I like to think I’m pretty good at seeing plot devices and twists coming but, this book (especially the ending) had me very pleasantly surprised.
The movie is a cute, fun and funny romcom overall. I would say it’s a nice way to spend an evening and is definitely better than a lot of the other romantic movies that have come out recently. The movie generally also does a good job at paying its respects to the book and just making certain changes to have it fit the screen better. The one area where they floundered a bit for me was the last 20-ish minutes of the movie where the final conflict feels a bit confusing and contrived and just not adapted in the best way. My opinion could definitely be influenced by how much I loved the book ending though.
Overall I would recommend either form of this story for a light and funny good time-not matter if you read, watch or both. ๐ ๐ฟ ๐ฅ