Tang Bohu dian Qiuxiang 2 zhi Si Da Caizi (2010)

Tang Bohu dian Qiuxiang 2 zhi Si Da Caizi: Directed by Lik-Chi Lee. With Xiaoming Huang, Jingchu Zhang, Libo Zhou, Pak-Cheung Chan. Tang Bohu’s mother sends him to study at Qingfeng Monastery, but he can’t bear the austere and monotonous life at the monastery. So, his three good friends secretly take Tang Bohu out for an excursion.

“: I was encouraged to see this because it was hailed as one of the best `teen comediesu0026#39;, a genre revived more recently by `American Pieu0026#39;. This is an amusing but also touching tale of a bunch of teenagers caught between childhood and adulthood (as teenagers tend to be..).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe characters are, naturally, disparate (they always are). Youu0026#39;ve got the geek, the tender one, the surfing one, the `cool catu0026#39; one, et cetera. All these stock types can be bland but, when done well, really flesh out a movie. As in `American Pieu0026#39;, this is an example of the combination working to good effect. The issues dealt with, mild enough by today, were quite controversial for its time. They touch on concepts of underage sex, drugs, employment and so on and their relevance still resonates – despite its founding in 80s culture, the movie still has something to actually say. Cameron Croweu0026#39;s script – based on his own book – is sharp. The characters actually have a depth (rather than being a one line joke as it is too often) and the humour is gentle, rather than of the bodily-fluid nature. The film is never preachy, merely saying, `This is how it isu0026#39; and moving on. The structure is fairly conventional – follow a set of characters over a long period, and see how they fare in a final big event, but again thatu0026#39;s okay.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003enActing is quite good here, especially considering the genre. This is of course helped by some of these actors, such as Sean Penn and Nicholas Cage, having gone on to do bigger and better things with their talents. They all have a warmth and even Mike (Robert Romanus), who could appear sleazy if portrayed poorly, comes across as an ultimately affable man who is a good guy. The non-teen cast, principally the teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston) are all good as well and the only problem I may have is the occasional eighties styling (principally the haircuts and outfits) which tend to make me feel one step removed from the characters (but thatu0026#39;s not a fault of the actors).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e`Fast Times at Ridgemont Highu0026#39; surprised me with its depth. I had expected farce, but I got some genuine thought and characterisation, along with the requisite humour. Itu0026#39;s not quite the laugh-fest I expected but it was good viewing. It still has meaning for today, although time has dulled its sharpness somewhat. Not a must, but certainly – given its short length – a good maybe. 6.9/10.”