The Hating Game - Shortcake gets her Man

We're back with part two of The Hating Game, and this time we're leaving the book behind and heading to the screen. If you missed part one where we talked about Sally Thorne's novel, go back two weeks and start there. This week we're talking about the 2021 Netflix adaptation, and we have thoughts.

The Cast

The movie stars Lucy Hale as Lucy Hutton, Austin Stowell as Joshua Templeman, Corbin Bernsen as Mr. Bexley, and Sakina Jaffrey as Helen. The casting conversation alone could be its own episode. Laura had always pictured Selena Gomez in the role, and it's honestly not a bad call. The two have a similar energy and look, and either would have worked. Lucy Hale is good, but if you grew up watching Pretty Little Liars it takes a minute to fully shake that association.

As for Austin Stowell as Josh? He's fine. He's just not quite what any of us had pictured. He does look good in blue though, which matters more than you'd think if you listened to our book episode.

What the Movie Gets Right

The adaptation is more faithful than we expected. The core story is intact, the key scenes are there, and the office setup is actually an improvement over what the book describes. Cozier, warmer, more believable as a place two people would slowly fall for each other while pretending they hate each other. The tension between Lucy and Josh translates reasonably well to screen, and there are moments that are genuinely fun to watch, especially if you've already read the book and know what's coming.

What the Movie Loses

Here's the honest problem: so much of what makes the book work lives inside Lucy's head. Her internal monologue, the way she analyzes everything, the slow accumulation of feelings she refuses to name. That's nearly impossible to translate to screen, and the movie doesn't fully crack it. You can see the tension but you can't quite feel the weight of it the way the book lets you.

The pacing is the other issue. Things move fast. The emotional buildup that the book takes its time with gets compressed significantly, and that compression costs you some of the investment in the characters. The supporting cast also gets a lot less development, which if you loved certain characters from the book, you'll notice.

Our Rating

We use popcorn buckets. We didn't fully agree, which honestly tracks for us.

Laura landed at 2.5 buckets. Katya split the difference between the adaptation quality and the story itself. Michelle gave it a 4 because she holds romcoms to romcom standards, which is the correct way to rate a romcom.

The consensus: it's a great airplane movie. It's a great holiday movie since it's set at Christmas. It's better than a Hallmark movie, it has real conflict and genuine chemistry, but it's not going to surprise you. If you've read the book you'll have fun with it. If you haven't, it still works on its own, you'll just be missing some of Lucy's best material.

It's on Netflix. You already have a subscription. You know what to do.

If You Liked The Hating Game, Try:

Anyone But You 

My Best Friend's Wedding 

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and on Netflix (Stay tuned for a future episode)

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Missed part one? Listen to our book episode. Find us everywhere at linktr.ee/chapteronesceneone. Back next week with whatever book and screen combo we land on next.