Jimmy O. Yang Is The Best Thing About ‘Love Hard,’ Netflix’s New Christmas Movie
A journalist finally connects with someone on a dating app who doesn’t suck. Because that’s so rare, she decides to surprise this hot guy in his hometown for Christmas. But instead of the muscly borderline model that filled the pictures on the app, she’s greeted by her catfish, Josh. Now he’s going to help her nab the actual guy from the pictures as a way to apologize. This isn’t some ill-fated TikTok story time–it’s the plot of Netflix’s new original Christmas movie, Love Hard.
If the trailer doesn’t have you hooked for this Netflix Original Christmas movie, I understand. The premise and quality looks like only a tiny step up from the formulaic Hallmark holiday movies we’ve grown to begrudgingly love. While Nina Dobrev’s skills are par with any other made-for-TV starlet, the real standout is Jimmy O. Yang, playing her catfish, Josh.
Have a few hours of free time? You should definitely watch this movie just for Jimmy O. Yang. But if you’re on the fence, we’ve got some relatively spoiler-free reasons why he’s the best thing about Love Hard.
Jimmy O. Yang’s Josh Has An Actual Personality
You might know Jimmy O. Yang from Silicon Valley or his stand-up specials. The guy’s absolutely hilarious, but up until now, he’s never played the male lead of a rom-com. Considering he’s the only one in the movie with a real personality, you can see why he’s such a standout.
Yang’s Josh uses his real-life friend’s pictures to catfish Dobrev’s Natalie. Pictures of Barnet’s Tag (“Tag?” What a terrible name) are what Natalie first falls in love with.
And yeah, at first glance Tag is a hottie. You might recognize him as Paxton from Never Have I Ever. Hotness isn’t everything, though. All we really know about Tag is that he loves Henry David Thoreau and rock climbing. Boring. But Josh? He’s sweet, caring, and wants to make masculine scented candles. He has a complicated relationship with his father and brother, and he misses his grandpa immensely.
Even Dobrev’s Natalie is pretty one-note. There’s not a lot to know about her beyond her job and her kiwi allergy. While everyone else is essentially high-res cardboard cutouts, Josh’s character feels real and whole.
His “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Edit Is Everything
If you were on the fence about him, Yang kills it in the “Baby It’s Cold Outside” scene.
His family goes out singing Christmas carols and, rather than being upstaged by his brother, he volunteers to sing “Baby it’s Cold Outside” with Natalie. At her protests about how icky the lyrics are to this classic holiday song, he changes the lyrics on the fly, bringing the song to 2021. It’s hilarious and sweet.
Have you fallen in love yet?
We’re All Collectively In Love With Him
I’m not the only one who now has a mad crush on Jimmy O. Yang because of this movie. People have been creating edits and tributes to his character on TikTok.
Someone should start a petition to get this man into more romantic comedies, because I’m here for it. Without Jimmy O. Yang, Love Hard would have been a dud. With him, though? It’s a must-watch.