{"id":116,"date":"2026-02-11T17:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T17:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/?p=116"},"modified":"2026-05-14T17:58:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T00:58:21","slug":"podcast-249-heart-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/?p=116","title":{"rendered":"Podcast 249: Heart Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"116\" class=\"elementor elementor-116\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44549e84 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44549e84\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6adbcdb1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6adbcdb1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><iframe style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/player-v2\/?share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=1&amp;fonts=Verdana&amp;skin=c73a3a&amp;btn-skin=1b1b1b&amp;multiple_size=515&amp;square_size=300&amp;order=episodic&amp;filter=all&amp;limit=100&amp;season=all&amp;tag=all&amp;font-color=auto&amp;i=rwytn-1a401e6-pb\" width=\"800\" height=\"150\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p><p data-start=\"73\" data-end=\"356\"><strong data-start=\"73\" data-end=\"89\">Movie Title:<\/strong> Heart Eyes<br data-start=\"100\" data-end=\"103\" \/><strong data-start=\"103\" data-end=\"120\">Release Date:<\/strong> February 7, 2025<br data-start=\"137\" data-end=\"140\" \/><strong data-start=\"140\" data-end=\"152\">Runtime:<\/strong> 97 minutes<br data-start=\"163\" data-end=\"166\" \/><strong data-start=\"166\" data-end=\"179\">Director:<\/strong> Josh Ruben<br data-start=\"190\" data-end=\"193\" \/><strong data-start=\"193\" data-end=\"219\">Screenplay Written By:<\/strong> Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy<br data-start=\"275\" data-end=\"278\" \/><strong data-start=\"278\" data-end=\"291\">Based On:<\/strong> Original screenplay<br data-start=\"311\" data-end=\"314\" \/><strong data-start=\"314\" data-end=\"334\">Is it a remake?:<\/strong> No<\/p><p data-start=\"73\" data-end=\"356\"><strong data-start=\"340\" data-end=\"354\">Main Cast:<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"357\" data-end=\"464\"><li data-section-id=\"1hz46n7\" data-start=\"357\" data-end=\"372\">Olivia Holt<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1e1gz3p\" data-start=\"373\" data-end=\"390\">Mason Gooding<\/li><li data-section-id=\"tdljnm\" data-start=\"391\" data-end=\"407\">Gigi Zumbado<\/li><li data-section-id=\"hr49n7\" data-start=\"408\" data-end=\"428\">Michaela Watkins<\/li><li data-section-id=\"vgn456\" data-start=\"429\" data-end=\"443\">Devon Sawa<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1bh57t3\" data-start=\"444\" data-end=\"464\">Jordana Brewster<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"466\" data-end=\"523\"><strong data-start=\"466\" data-end=\"477\"><br \/>Budget:<\/strong> Approximately $18 million<br data-start=\"503\" data-end=\"506\" \/><strong data-start=\"506\" data-end=\"521\"><br \/>Box Office:<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"524\" data-end=\"606\"><li data-section-id=\"15z365z\" data-start=\"524\" data-end=\"549\">Domestic: $30,415,738<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1omjvr3\" data-start=\"550\" data-end=\"579\">International: $2,713,361<\/li><li data-section-id=\"qgk1cx\" data-start=\"580\" data-end=\"606\">Worldwide: $33,129,099<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"608\" data-end=\"621\"><strong data-start=\"608\" data-end=\"619\"><br \/>Awards:<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"622\" data-end=\"714\"><li data-section-id=\"r406i4\" data-start=\"622\" data-end=\"714\">No major competitive awards verified from the sources checked.<\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"716\" data-end=\"949\"><br \/>Core credits, release date, runtime, budget, box office, and distribution details cross-checked through IMDb, Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes, Wikipedia, and New Zealand Film Commission records.<br \/><br \/><\/p><hr data-start=\"951\" data-end=\"954\" \/><h2 data-section-id=\"cng3nq\" data-start=\"956\" data-end=\"978\">Short Plot Summary:<\/h2><p data-start=\"979\" data-end=\"1368\">For several years, the \u201cHeart Eyes Killer\u201d has targeted romantic couples on Valentine\u2019s Day. In Seattle, coworkers Ally and Jay are mistaken for a couple and become the killer\u2019s next targets. As they try to survive the night, their forced partnership mixes slasher danger with romantic-comedy tension. The film blends holiday horror, murder-mystery plotting, and self-aware rom-com tropes.<br \/><br \/><\/p><hr data-start=\"1370\" data-end=\"1373\" \/><h2 data-section-id=\"j5o1hd\" data-start=\"1375\" data-end=\"1389\">Key Quotes:<\/h2><ul data-start=\"1390\" data-end=\"1421\"><li>Monica: [<em>On the phone with Ally<\/em>] Hey, Ally? Ally, listen to me: you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have someone love you for the beautiful, neurotic mess that you are. I mean, you can be so clueless sometimes; it&#8217;s one of the ten things I hate about you, honestly. You can&#8217;t let Jay go off to his best friend&#8217;s wedding and hook up with a bunch of bridesmaids and move to Notting Hill. No. This is love, momma. Some kind of&#8230; wonderful, crazy stupid love, actually.<\/li><li>Jay Simmonds: These muscles weren&#8217;t made for violence; they were made for cuddling!<\/li><li>Ally McCabe: [<em>to a statue of Saint Valentine<\/em>] Your day fucking sucks.<\/li><li>Ally McCabe: Love hurts, bitch.<\/li><li>Ally McCabe: My point is, it&#8217;s not real. And somehow, I landed a job that forces me to propagate a fantasy in order to sell blood diamonds harvested from third world slave labor, so please forgive me if I&#8217;m not swept away by your magical notions of romance.<br \/><br \/><\/li><\/ul><hr data-start=\"1694\" data-end=\"1697\" \/><h2 data-section-id=\"16tullg\" data-start=\"1699\" data-end=\"1708\">Trivia<\/h2><ul data-start=\"1710\" data-end=\"6474\"><li data-section-id=\"1nzpma0\" data-start=\"1710\" data-end=\"2371\"><h3 data-section-id=\"1wj7ob0\" data-start=\"1712\" data-end=\"1725\">Director:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"2371\"><li data-section-id=\"6pe0k0\" data-start=\"1728\" data-end=\"1797\">Josh Ruben directed the film.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1mpugoi\" data-start=\"1800\" data-end=\"2012\">The film is described by multiple listings as a romantic comedy slasher \/ holiday horror film, combining Valentine\u2019s Day rom-com setup with masked-killer slasher structure.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"vbab3v\" data-start=\"2015\" data-end=\"2141\">The screenplay was written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1gkk628\" data-start=\"2144\" data-end=\"2371\">Christopher Landon also served as a producer, connecting the film to the modern self-aware horror-comedy space associated with his work on projects such as <em data-start=\"2302\" data-end=\"2319\">Happy Death Day<\/em> and <em data-start=\"2324\" data-end=\"2332\">Freaky<\/em>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"1tp8ekf\" data-start=\"2373\" data-end=\"2901\"><h3 data-section-id=\"sznbhv\" data-start=\"2375\" data-end=\"2394\">Cast \/ Casting:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"2397\" data-end=\"2901\"><li data-section-id=\"1swpby2\" data-start=\"2397\" data-end=\"2485\">Olivia Holt plays Ally McCabe, a pitch designer.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1d720vi\" data-start=\"2488\" data-end=\"2585\">Mason Gooding plays Jay Simmonds, a freelance advertiser.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"dc0aa5\" data-start=\"2588\" data-end=\"2669\">Gigi Zumbado plays Monica, Ally\u2019s friend.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"djkutt\" data-start=\"2672\" data-end=\"2780\">Michaela Watkins plays Crystal Cane, Ally, Jay, and Monica\u2019s boss.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"9mes3q\" data-start=\"2783\" data-end=\"2901\">Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster play detectives Zeke Hobbs and Jeanine Shaw.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"1j42333\" data-start=\"2903\" data-end=\"3133\"><h3 data-section-id=\"kx4tg7\" data-start=\"2905\" data-end=\"2928\">Soundtrack \/ Score:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"2931\" data-end=\"3133\"><li data-section-id=\"1vwiocf\" data-start=\"2931\" data-end=\"3003\">Jay Wadley composed the music.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1ezbiai\" data-start=\"3006\" data-end=\"3133\">Insufficient verified data on a major released soundtrack album or prominent licensed-song campaign from the sources checked.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"11g2hga\" data-start=\"3135\" data-end=\"3752\"><h3 data-section-id=\"1n3totd\" data-start=\"3137\" data-end=\"3150\">Location:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"3153\" data-end=\"3752\"><li data-section-id=\"1vqhz1w\" data-start=\"3153\" data-end=\"3235\">The story is set in Seattle, Washington.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1igqu3s\" data-start=\"3238\" data-end=\"3368\">The film was shot entirely in Auckland, New Zealand, with Auckland doubling for Seattle.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1ja67un\" data-start=\"3371\" data-end=\"3575\">The New Zealand Film Commission notes that Auckland\u2019s urban environments, waterfront areas, and green spaces were used to create a cohesive American city setting.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"a05l11\" data-start=\"3578\" data-end=\"3752\">Location reporting identifies Auckland as the production\u2019s main filming base, with the city standing in for Seattle across the film.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"e7motu\" data-start=\"3754\" data-end=\"4255\"><h3 data-section-id=\"ie9yt7\" data-start=\"3756\" data-end=\"3766\">Act 1:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"3769\" data-end=\"4255\"><li data-section-id=\"1x05ocr\" data-start=\"3769\" data-end=\"3926\">The premise establishes that the Heart Eyes Killer has been murdering couples on Valentine\u2019s Day for several years.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1nuz5e3\" data-start=\"3929\" data-end=\"4084\">Ally and Jay are coworkers, not an actual romantic couple, which sets up the film\u2019s central mistaken-couple hook.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"pw23zf\" data-start=\"4087\" data-end=\"4255\">The Valentine\u2019s Day setting is central to the killer\u2019s pattern and the film\u2019s genre mashup of rom-com and slasher conventions.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"oftkqx\" data-start=\"4257\" data-end=\"4655\"><h3 data-section-id=\"ie9ys8\" data-start=\"4259\" data-end=\"4269\">Act 2:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"4272\" data-end=\"4655\"><li data-section-id=\"13fkyo2\" data-start=\"4272\" data-end=\"4386\">Ally and Jay become targets after the killer mistakes them for a couple.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"qpprrt\" data-start=\"4389\" data-end=\"4507\">The film uses the survival structure of a slasher while pushing the leads into romantic-comedy proximity and banter.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"xcihd4\" data-start=\"4510\" data-end=\"4655\">Detectives Hobbs and Shaw investigate the killings, giving the story a police-procedural\/mystery layer.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"1yg04xb\" data-start=\"4657\" data-end=\"5061\"><h3 data-section-id=\"ie9yux\" data-start=\"4659\" data-end=\"4669\">Act 3:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"4672\" data-end=\"5061\"><li data-section-id=\"1h9fi11\" data-start=\"4672\" data-end=\"4799\">Specific ending details are omitted here to avoid relying on recap sites and to preserve the reveal-driven slasher structure.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"19kh9ef\" data-start=\"4802\" data-end=\"4948\">The final act centers on the identity and threat of the Heart Eyes Killer, with Ally and Jay forced to survive the Valentine\u2019s Day murder spree.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1k4kxza\" data-start=\"4951\" data-end=\"5061\">Insufficient verified data for detailed third-act production trivia from primary or highly reliable sources.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"w1f6bw\" data-start=\"5063\" data-end=\"5748\"><h3 data-section-id=\"qt9n5q\" data-start=\"5065\" data-end=\"5081\">Easter Eggs:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"5084\" data-end=\"5748\"><li data-section-id=\"gm9siu\" data-start=\"5084\" data-end=\"5228\">The title and killer design build directly around the familiar \u201cheart eyes\u201d emoji\/image, turning romantic visual shorthand into a horror icon.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1pn36me\" data-start=\"5231\" data-end=\"5364\">The marketing tagline \u201cRomance is dead\u201d summarizes the film\u2019s genre joke: Valentine\u2019s Day romance converted into slasher violence.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"19d0hqt\" data-start=\"5367\" data-end=\"5500\">The tagline \u201cNo couple is safe\u201d reinforces the film\u2019s killer rule and Valentine\u2019s Day hook.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1j1l99m\" data-start=\"5503\" data-end=\"5748\">The detectives\u2019 names, Hobbs and Shaw, echo the title pairing from the <em data-start=\"5576\" data-end=\"5592\">Fast &amp; Furious<\/em> spinoff <em data-start=\"5601\" data-end=\"5615\">Hobbs &amp; Shaw<\/em>. This is an apparent pop-culture reference based on the character names; treat as interpretation unless confirmed by the filmmakers.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-section-id=\"p6r58n\" data-start=\"5750\" data-end=\"6474\"><h3 data-section-id=\"73beyw\" data-start=\"5752\" data-end=\"5761\">Misc:<\/h3><ul data-start=\"5764\" data-end=\"6474\"><li data-section-id=\"jf7cb5\" data-start=\"5764\" data-end=\"5886\"><em data-start=\"5766\" data-end=\"5778\">Heart Eyes<\/em> was released theatrically in the United States on February 7, 2025.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"hublf7\" data-start=\"5889\" data-end=\"6014\">Box Office Mojo lists a domestic opening weekend of $8,305,156 from 3,102 theaters.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"e99sdm\" data-start=\"6017\" data-end=\"6156\">The film grossed $30,415,738 domestically, $2,713,361 internationally, and $33,129,099 worldwide.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1ka7jtp\" data-start=\"6159\" data-end=\"6287\">IMDb and Box Office Mojo both list the production budget at approximately $18 million.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1jjrnco\" data-start=\"6290\" data-end=\"6474\">Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as rated R, with a runtime of 1 hour 37 minutes, and categorizes it under holiday, horror, romance, and comedy.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><hr data-start=\"6476\" data-end=\"6479\" \/><h2 data-section-id=\"pserta\" data-start=\"6481\" data-end=\"6498\">Sources Cited:<\/h2><ul data-start=\"6499\" data-end=\"6992\"><li data-section-id=\"1s0pnqd\" data-start=\"6499\" data-end=\"6591\">IMDb: <em data-start=\"6507\" data-end=\"6519\">Heart Eyes<\/em> title and full credits pages.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"wlntno\" data-start=\"6592\" data-end=\"6660\">Wikipedia: <em data-start=\"6605\" data-end=\"6617\">Heart Eyes<\/em>.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1flb2vl\" data-start=\"6661\" data-end=\"6759\">Box Office Mojo: <em data-start=\"6680\" data-end=\"6692\">Heart Eyes<\/em> title and release pages.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"c2agr1\" data-start=\"6760\" data-end=\"6834\">Rotten Tomatoes: <em data-start=\"6779\" data-end=\"6791\">Heart Eyes<\/em>.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"2yd70n\" data-start=\"6835\" data-end=\"6921\">New Zealand Film Commission: <em data-start=\"6866\" data-end=\"6878\">Heart Eyes<\/em>.<\/li><li data-section-id=\"1u9xp4n\" data-start=\"6922\" data-end=\"6992\">Movie Insider: <em data-start=\"6939\" data-end=\"6951\">Heart Eyes<\/em>.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ufeff Movie Title: Heart EyesRelease Date: February 7, 2025Runtime: 97 minutesDirector: Josh RubenScreenplay Written By: Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael KennedyBased On: Original screenplayIs it a remake?: No Main Cast: Olivia Holt Mason Gooding Gigi Zumbado Michaela Watkins Devon Sawa Jordana Brewster Budget: Approximately $18 millionBox Office: Domestic: $30,415,738 International: $2,713,361 Worldwide: $33,129,099 Awards: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1135,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116\/revisions\/1135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3guysandaflick.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}