Why Ke Huy Quan’s Marvin Is So Protective Of His Award In Love Hurts

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Love Hurts.As one of the big Hollywood movies coming out around 2025’s Valentine’s Day, the Ke Huy Quan-led action/comedy Love Hurts tells the story of a former hitman who has since left his past behind, trying to live a normal life as a realtor. Love Hurts‘ reviews were less than stellar for the most part, which is very unfortunate for Quan’s first-ever starring role in a film, but thankfully, his part in the movie is still very engaging to watch unfold.

Ke Huy Quan is definitely the best of Love Hurts‘ cast, not only showcasing his action skills yet again after Everything Everywhere All at Once, but also able to bring a vulnerability to the role, elevating the material that he was given. Marvin Gable starts the film having been given a realtor award, and that small token is something that sticks with him for the rest of the adventure, going so far as to protect it even as his life is being threatened by Marshawn Lynch and André Eriksen’s characters.

Marvin’s Award In Love Hurts Symbolizes His New Life

The Award Proves That He Has Changed


Sean Astin as Cliff holding up an award in Love Hurts

The regional realtor of the year award that Marvin won is a symbol of the life he has made for himself, away from the past that he is trying to escape. It is given to him by Sean Astin’s character Cliff, which is not only a fun Goonies reunion for Love Hurts, but also an extremely meaningful gesture by the man who had helped Marvin create this new life. Marvin spent years trying to make himself something other than a remorseless killer, and the award is physical proof that he succeeded.

Marvin Eventually Realizes He Doesn’t Need The Award To Survive

Marvin’s Past & Future Are Finally Able To Coexist

Eventually, however, Marvin’s award is destroyed in Love Hurts‘ big three-way fight scene between him, the Raven (Mustafa Shakir), and Knuckles’ (Daniel Wu) men, as the frame is shattered and the document ruined. This obviously causes Marvin a great deal of stress, as he has already been forced to revert to his old ways when he must defend himself from his new attackers. The destruction of the award brings him to his low point in the film, but eventually, he is able to overcome his need for the award as a symbol of how he changed his life.

By the end of Love Hurts, Marvin’s arc is completed when he finally realizes that his past is as much of a part of him as his present and future and that these two halves of him can indeed coexist. Marvin spends the first half of the movie running away from who he was, but, with the help of Ariana DeBose’s Rose, he can be someone who fights and kills, without being beholden to the whims of the evil people that he was forced to work for before the events of Love Hurts.

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