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Happy Times
(2000)
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Title: Happy Times (2000)
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Benshan Zhao | ... |
Zhao
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| Jie Dong | ... |
Wu Ying
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Lifan Dong | ... |
Stepmother
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Biao Fu | ... |
Little Fu
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| Xuejian Li | ... |
Li
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Qibin Leng | ... |
Wu Ying's Stepbrother
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Ben Niu | ... |
Old Niu
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Jinghua Gong | ... |
Aunty Liu
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Hongjie Zhang | ... |
Lao Zhang
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Bingkun Zhao | ... |
Lao Bai
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Honglei Sun | ... |
Customer at 'Happy Times'
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Zhao is an aging bachelor who hasn't been lucky in love. Thinking he has finally met the woman of his dreams, Zhao leads her to believe he is wealthy and agrees to a wedding far beyond his means. Zhao's best friend Li hatches the idea to raise the money by refurbishing an abandoned bus, which they will rent out by the hour--the Happy Times Hotel--to young couples starved for privacy. Unfortunately, this plan goes awry because Zhao is too old fashioned to allow the couples to leave the bus door closed. Meanwhile, Zhao's fiancee introduces him to her spoiled son and beautiful blind stepdaughter Wu Ying, whom she sees as a burden. To be rid of the girl, she insists that Zhao take her to the Happy Times Hotel and give her a job. Zhao reluctantly agrees, then creates a series of deceptions to keep the girl occupied, including setting her up as a masseuse and enlisting his friends to pretend to be her customers. Everything that is happening between Zhao and Wu is superficially about ... Written by Sujit R. Varma
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Details
Country:
ChinaLanguage:
MandarinRelease Date:
31 December 2000 (China) See more »Also Known As:
Happy Times See more »Filming Locations:
ChinaBox Office
Budget:
$1,900,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$31,084 (USA) (26 July 2002)Gross:
$239,134 (USA) (8 November 2002)Company Credits
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It seems that most of the negative reviews that this film has gotten are based upon people's misconception that the film should be what THEY want it to be, not what it really is. The truth is, although there's certainly humor in the film, it's not a comedy - nor does it pretend to be a fairy tale, or a social expose, or a political statement. To me, it's a film about cruelty and compassion - both by human beings and by fate. I found it both life-affirming, and heartbreaking
- often
at the same time, and I thought the acting was excellent on everyone's part. To me, well worth seeing, and quite unique.