Is Love Hard named after Die Hard and Love Actually?

Love Hard premiered on Netflix on Nov. 5, and it’s the first big Netflix original Christmas movie premiere of the year. What could be better than a romantic comedy starring Nina Dobrev to get into the holiday spirit?

Dobrev leads the cast as Natalie, a writer whose anonymous dating column chronicling her misadventures in online dating has grown stale. Suddenly, she seems to hit it off with a guy named Josh from lake Placid, New York, who she comes to learn is a catfish.

Once again, Natalie finds herself in another dating app debacle as she pretends to date the real Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) while pursuing the fake Josh, named Tag (Darren Barnet). But you’re probably wondering where the title of the movie comes from and if it’s a reference to other movies.

While the double entendre of love being hard is right there in the title, Love Hard also makes several obvious references to the Christmas classic romantic comedy Love Actually and the action film that’s a controversial Christmas pick Die Hard. Spoilers ahead!

Love Hard connection to Die Hard and Love Actually

Based on the references to both movies, Love Hard’s title appears to be an homage to the fan-favorite holiday classics. Dobrev’s Natalie insists that Die Hard is her favorite Christmas movie, a hot take that’s debated throughout the film.

Whether you agree with Natalie or not, Die Hard has been designated as a Christmas movie over the years due to its holiday setting. But we don’t have to debate Love Actually’s standing as a Christmas movie, since it’s been a staple ever since its release.

Later in the movie, Natalie recreates the Love Actually “cards on the doorstep” scene when professing her love for Josh (Jimmy O. Yang), even going so far as throwing in a “yippee ki yay” reference from Die Hard on one of the cards.

Even though Love Hard doesn’t directly borrow from the plots of either movie, the rom-com certainly shows both a lot of love between the many references fans will love to the cheeky nods in the movie’s title. And it’s safe to say this one will become a fan-favorite, too.

What did you think of the new movie? Do you think Die Hard is a Christmas movie, or do you prefer Love Actually? Share your thoughts in the comments and watch Love Hard on Netflix!