If You Are the One

Yes, this is yet another one of those very generic romantic comedies that are mass-produced and all follow the same guidebook of how-to-make-a-successful-romantic-comedy.

What made me sit down to watch this movie was solely because of Shu Qi. And she does an adequate job alongside You Ge, but they had so very little to work with by restrictions of a mundane script. And yes, this is one of those dislike-turns-to-love types of romantic comedies.

The story is about 40-something year old Qin Fen (played by You Ge) who is desperately trying to find a wife by posting an add on the Internet. He happens to meet with Xiaox Xiaox (played by Shu Qi), but they are not compatible. Qin Fin is a recent millionaire and Xiaox Xiaox is trying to mend a broken Heart. As fate will have it their paths cross again and an odd friendship starts to bloom.

The movie ran at just about two hours, which felt like an eternity towards the end. They should have cut away about 30 minutes to make it a movie that could sustain a hold on the audience.

"If You Are the One" (aka "Fei cheng wu rao") is not a memorable movie, unless you are a die-hard fan of anyone on the cast list. And there are far better choices of movies in this genre, should you be in the mood for a romantic comedy.

I'm a keen admirer of versatile Chinese director Feng Xiaogang and am a fan of his films, which covers quite a vast range from War (The Assembly), Period martial arts (The Banquet), and a good old thriller in World Without Thieves, amongst others in his filmography. I've yet to watch something that had disappointed, and his latest romantic drama If You Are The One starring long time collaborator Ge You and Shu Qi, proves to be yet another understated film that deserves a larger audience, if not for the limited number of screens (two only) in Singapore.

Ge You plays Qin Fen, whom we are introduced as a one-time inventor of a product called the Conflict Resolution Tool, which got sold to a venture capitalist for millions. With his new found wealth, he decided to focus on settling down, and follows the recent trend of finding a suitable companion over the internet. Here's where the humour comes in, not in slapstick fashion, but through the earnest ways he presents himself with honesty, starting from his online profile which lists a number of his ordinary points quite upfront. Ge You is again at his element here, and he continues to surprise how he internalizes his roles, be it the grandeur of an emperor, or a straight-talking neighbour next door.

Needless to say the best bits were in the first half, where like the 40 Year Old Virgin he goes on a schedule of blind dates after more blind dates, meeting countless of women with plenty of side agendas except settling down. His surprise comes in the form of Shu Qi's Xiaoxiao, because nobody would seriously expect a babe to hook up with someone through online means, given no lack of suitors already queuing up in the real world. I can trust a story written by Feng Xiaogang in that he crafts his characters with believability, and here he captures perfectly the essence of the dilemma of a middle aged man looking for a love partner. Knowing a below average joe would never be able to hold onto a relationship with a princess, given lack of funds, looks and power, Qin Fen passes up the chance quite honestly, but forms a firm friendship with Xiaoxiao.

I guess Shu Qi's almost automatic first choice for a female lead role in a romantic film, having been seen very recently opposite Andy Lau in Look For A Star. While that role is a little more vivacious, her character here is a little more subdued, though no less glamorous as a stewardess with Hainan Air. Again she convinces with a credible performance of a woman who has this tremendous emotional baggage of being in love with a married man, who for obvious reasons cannot commit to her, nor wanting to let her go. She epitomizes Selfishness to the maximum, especially when deciding to trade and negotiate a relationship while knowingly still having a place in her heart for someone else, although credit given that she's upfront about it.

What I particularly enjoyed about the film is its examination into seeking love through online means, where one has got to go through arduous ego-inflating profiles trying to seek out somebody for a blind date, which can turn out to be a tad disappointing when real life doesn't meet expectations set, no matter how small that is. The story excels, and is one of the key strengths of the film is in highlighting this disappointment. One can be magnanimous and make the best of the situation, or try to pull the plug as early as you can so as not to lead the other person on, or to waste everyone's time. It's all about having a little chance and taking risk at every possible opportunity presenting itself, and disappointments being just part and parcel of the process, especially when you have little brought to the table.

Blessed with rich cinematography thanks to great locales in both China and in Hokkaido, Japan, look out too for plenty of cameos especially the blind dates that Qin Feng meets, the best (to me) was the short appearance of Vivian Hsu, who highlights once again some of the prejudices that any male would probably subscribe to as well. If there was a gripe, that will be the last scene which was quite unnecessary and too tacky, even though it was trying to make a not too subtle reference and statement to the real world financial crisis now, and the confidence to have in the Chinese financial system.

I would only say to try not to miss this film despite the limited screens and timings, because this is certainly one movie that is worth its weight in gold. For those who cannot make it to the cinemas, the DVD is already out now, so you might just want to own it instead. Highly recommended, and goes into my shortlist of contenders for that end of year top movies list!

It's a film about romance, sad but mild at the same time. Permeated by numerous advertisement for the sponsors for the produce of this film, the story struggled to manifest its substance via Ge You's humorous( or flirtatious) dialogue( or monologue). A man (acted by Ge You) over forty wanted to find the "Miss Right", only to encounter various kinds of " Miss Wrong". A woman ( acted by Shu Qi) felt desperate at the affair with a married man happened to meet Ge You at a blind date. They got to know each other gradually and decided to pay a tour to the famous retort in Japan together as companion to each other and finally Shu Qi smells the odor she wants from his companion and realizes he is the true Mr Right. In the picturesque field, another emotion arising from friendship tried to trigger audience's innate desire to sob. As a comedy, the film brings us a good ending, touching. BTW, the music rendered by the winner of Super Girl is manifique.

Well known Chinese actor, Ge You, plays a kind of geeky middle-aged man, an inventor, who after becoming rich, wants to fulfill his next ambition and get a girlfriend. The comedy aspect of the film is more successful as Ge You's character tries personal ads and meets with several unsuitable candidates. One of the candidates (played by Qi Shu) is an air flight attendant who is unsuitable in many ways including still being in love with another man who has rejected her. Despite mutual animosity, they develop a kind of twisted friendship and agree to help each other. Predictably they become more attracted to each other but have to overcome difficult obstacles to find real love. The comedy is kind of goofy and slapstick but sometimes amusing with some humorous but pointed criticisms of modern Chinese life. However, the more romantic second half of the film is overwrought and increasingly unbearable to watch as Qi Shu's character struggles with herself and Ge You's character becomes increasingly tolerant of her self torment. bleeech.

I was surprised to see this movie that showed feelings I would have only expected in a Western film. After living in China for several weeks and feeling the large gulf between my culture in NW USA and Beijing, I found this movie quite refreshing. It showed me again that people are basically the same, given similar conditions. Dialogue was excellent - very well written and intense, although a little hard to follow by subtitles and watch the character's actions at the same time. The plot was not quite as predictable as a typical Hollywood film, which I also found refreshing. I look forward to watching more films by this director.