The Hating Game (2021)

For about five minutes there's an amusing degree of toxicity between rivals "Lucy" (Lucy Hale) and "Josh" (Austin Stowell) who are both vying for the new job as managing director at their firm. They share an office and a very thinly veiled attraction to each other and after a few snide comments the smart-mouthery goes the way of the dodo and off we go on a predictable rom-com that surprisingly enough manages to string itself out for almost one hundred whole minutes of precisely no jeopardy, very little comedy and writing that is the stuff of a pubescent fantasy. How can a couple, called "Lucy" and "Josh" not hit it off? It's not like they are called Geoffrey and Gladys! Add to this rather watery mix poor old "Danny" (Damon Daunno) who is keen on her but ends up being her emotional pin-cushion, and her warring bosses "Helen" (Sakina Jeffrey) and a clearly down on his luck Corbin Bernsen ("Bexley") and we have the makings of an instantly forgettable, cheesy and predicable yarn that even the dulcet tones of Nina Simone cant really breathe life into. Daytime telly fodder - nah!