Shanghai Kiss (2007)

Shanghai Kiss: Directed by Kern Konwiser, David Ren. With Ken Leung, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Hu, Joel David Moore. An Asian-American actor, living in Los Angeles, is forced to reconsider his roots as well as the possibilities afforded him by his present situation after suddenly inheriting his grandmother’s home in Shanghai.

“This movie wasnu0026#39;t what I was expecting at all when I sat down to watch it. It looks like theyu0026#39;re marketing this as a light romantic comedy, which it is in a way: itu0026#39;s very very funny and romantic. But behind the comedy, thereu0026#39;s layers of sadness that reminded me of Woody Allen at his best. Ken Leungu0026#39;s Liam might be the most complex character since Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Hereu0026#39;s a guy who canu0026#39;t really emotionally connect to anything – his family, his Chinese heritage, women, maybe the world. All he really has is his friendship with a free-spirited girl named Adelaide (Hayden P) who tries hard to get him to emotionally open up. Except sheu0026#39;s only 16 and he canu0026#39;t be with her anyway. His father (Lo Pan), who he blames for his motheru0026#39;s death, calls him one day and tells him that his grandmother left him a house in Shanghai. So he decides to go their to sell it and make some bank. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThatu0026#39;s the basic set up, which is conventional enough, but what is intriguing is every decision Liam makes throughout the rest of the movie. Heu0026#39;s impulsive, impetuous, and relies solely on Al Pacino/Scarface type gut instincts. Even though he intellectualizes throughout the film, itu0026#39;s as if he doesnu0026#39;t trust himself nor his conclusions. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor example, thereu0026#39;s a scene towards the beginning where heu0026#39;s drinking with a buddy of his. His buddy points out a cute girl at the bar, and Liam completely blasts her, calling her fake. Then at last call, when heu0026#39;s lost his buzz and the emptiness and loneliness of life has crept in, he starts to talk to this girl, whom he takes home. Later, sheu0026#39;s lying next to him, making small talk and a tear runs down his face. It seemed shocking to me at first, but after a moment I knew exactly why he has crying. The scene was handled very delicately and very few actors couldu0026#39;ve pulled it off. This is such an interesting character that you can watch him eat a meal for an hour and not get bored. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHayden is cute and charming. Her character is a dichotomy of maturity and playfulness, often at the same time. Thereu0026#39;s a scene at the end with her thatu0026#39;s almost heartbreaking. J D Moore is hilarious as a writer whou0026#39;s fascinated by the opposite sex. I guess the weak link here is Kelly Hu, whou0026#39;s perfectly satisfactory, but her performance lacks depth. Also, her Chinese accent seemed to go in and out at times.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe best part of the film is the dialogue, which I guess is the thing that made me compare this to Woody Allen.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie is not without flaws. As mentioned: Kelly Huu0026#39;s performance, the subplot with Byron Mannu0026#39;s character at the end (I wonu0026#39;t spoil it) seemed contrived, some stilted dialogue by the river (or where ever they were), the scene where they first meet is slightly unbelievable (Beverly Hills teenager taking the bus?) although their relationship was developed well. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;d say this is love or hate type movie. You will love it if you liked: Lost in Translation, Garden State, old Woody flicks, Little Miss Sunshine and other quirky indie comedies like that. Few things in the plot may not be believable for some, but I doubt anyone would say this isnu0026#39;t entertaining.”