The Hating Game

I can just imagine the pitch meeting for the Amazon movie The Hating Game. Take a formulaic Hallmark movie, throw in a lot of sex and sexual innuendos, a few swear words, and boom, you have a more modern rom-com.

Actually, it's based on a book, so that's more likely to have been the pitch. But you get the idea.

Does it work? Well, sort of. Because despite the overly romantic movie poster, or icon on your Amazon feed, The Hating Game is far edgier than you would think.

So what is it about?

What Is The Hating Game About?

Lucy Hutton (Lucy Hale, Pretty Little Liars) and Joshua Templeman (Austin Stowell) are two executive assistants who are forced to share an office after their respective publishing companies are merged.

The problem is they can't stand each other. They are complete opposites in every way possible.

Lucy is carefree and fun, always willing to help a co-worker. Josh is stern, unyielding and never smiles. Already in the midst of a never-ending rivalry, everything changes when a job promotion to Managing Director is on the table. But only one of them can get it.

Determined to achieve professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against Josh.

But with all of that tension between them, it doesn't take long for things to get increasingly complicated as an innocent elevator ride soon heats up.

But is it real? Should they be together or should they stay colleagues and friends?

The Hating Game Offical Trailer

Is The Hating Game Worth Watching?

I was pleasantly surprised by The Hating Game. I liked that it was far more modern than a run-of-the-mill rom-com.

Sure, it has all of the usual tropes. An ambitious good girl and her efficient work nemesis who argue all the time only. A mounting attraction between the two leads. A happy ever after.

There are few, if any, plot twists, so the second you see two beautiful people sharing an office and ‘hating' each other, you absolutely know they will get together.

Then again, isn't that the point of a rom-com?? It's a little spicier than normal, and other than the two main leads, the supporting cast has very little to do.

The Hating Game doesn't have a lot of depth, but has a few laughs and is a perfectly nice way to spend the evening if you want something easy and breezy to watch.

The Hating Game Cast

Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Sally Thorne, The Hating Game is well cast, and you can't dispute the on-screen chemistry between Lucy Hale (A Nice Girl Like You) and Austin Stowell. It pops!

But of course it takes more than two people to star in a film so here is the full cast…

Lucy Hale as Lucy Hutton, an ambitious good girl who is thrown off balance by her growing attraction for her co-worker.

Austin Stowell as Joshua Templeman, Lucy's co-worker, work nemesis and potential love interest.

Damon Daunno as Danny, a graphic designer in the company and Lucy's friend.

Nicholas Baroudi as Patrick, Josh's brother.

Corbin Bernsen as Richard Bexley, Josh's boss.

Sakina Jaffrey as Helene, Lucy's boss.

Tania Asnes as Annabelle

Yasha Jackson as Julie

Brock Yurich as Mack

Kathryn Boswell as Mindy