Happy Times (2000)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Yan Mo (novel), Gai Zi

Stars:

Lifan Dong, Benshan Zhao, Jie Dong

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Benshan Zhao	...	Zhao
Jie Dong	...	Wu Ying
Lifan Dong	...	Stepmother
Biao Fu	...	Little Fu
Xuejian Li	...	Li
Qibin Leng	...	Wu Ying's Stepbrother
Ben Niu	...	Old Niu
Jinghua Gong	...	Aunty Liu
Hongjie Zhang	...	Lao Zhang
Bingkun Zhao	...	Lao Bai
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Honglei Sun	...	Customer at 'Happy Times'

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

bus | bachelor | black comedy | marriage | job interview | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Fox [Japan] Sony Pictures Classics - trailer, synopsis, etc. (Flash) [United States]

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

31 December 2000 (China)

Also Known As:

Happy Times

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

$1,900,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,084, 28 July 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$239,134, 10 November 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Guangxi Film Studio, Xin Huamian Film, Zhuhai Zhenrong Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Zhang Yimou issued a casting call via the Internet for role of the blind girl. Eventual lead Dong Jie was selected from some 40,000 girls who auditioned for the role.

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Alternate Versions

SPOILER: In the original China-released ending, Zhao is not involved in a car accident. He writes a letter as the girl's dad and reads it to her as the lights dim and the credits roll. This ending is available in certain DVD releases.

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Connections

Featured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Episode #9.156 (2002)

User Reviews

Excellent dramatic fable!

6 Stars! This is a must see movie but be warned....the description of this film is not what this film's about. It is not a comedy, even though parts of the story are actually funny. It is a fable about compassion and the amount of deception sometimes needed to achieve it, especially by the inept. Happy Times is directed by Yimou Zhang, who gave us the masterpiece The Road Home, and it is very moving and terribly sad and oddly funny. If you like being delighted and surprised, watch this one.