Heart Eyes is a comedic horror film starring Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as Ally and Jay, respectively, who are two seemingly opposite personalities but end up building a heartfelt connection for one another despite the circumstances they meet in. Going into this screening, I had not seen a single video, ad, or post talking about the film at all. I had no expectations for actors, premise, or even genre. That being said, I really enjoyed this movie!
One of the biggest things I took note of was the writing of the Gen Z characters. I hate when Gen Z characters are written like nihilistic, sarcastic jerks who only use out of place slang. But I’m happy to say that this wasn’t the case in Heart Eyes. While the characters had some corny lines, they still felt genuine and self-aware of it all and it added to the appeal. There were genuinely funny moments for me, someone who does not typically laugh at movies, which impressed me from the start. As far as the horror element, it was pretty gory with some unique and interesting kills but it’s not a scary movie. It is a rom-com first and foremost and it uses the gore of a slasher to emphasize the comedy. So if you are looking for a horror fix, this might miss the mark for you, but it works well as a genre parody.Â
The actors did an amazing job in the film. The love aspect of the movie was well done and the chemistry was believable. The main characters go through earnest doubts with each other and the possibility of a relationship between them. There is a silly running joke throughout the movie that they are targeted for being a couple despite not being a couple at all as they had only just met the day before. While it’s a funny joke, this also pushes them into the role of being in a relationship. It somehow made the developing relationship between the characters feel realistic, despite their brief acquaintance.
Something that could be quite polarizing for the audience is the killer reveal which will be hilarious to some people but utterly stupid to others. For me, the ending was not my favorite but it honestly didn’t take away from the rest of the movie. Despite the ending, I would still highly recommend this movie, especially for a couple to watch together!