Movie: Shanghai Kiss
My Rating: 3 stars
I really enjoyed seeing David Ren’s film, The Girl From theNaked Eye, as a part of the DC APA Film Festival this year, so I decided to check out some of his other work. I had heard that he showed Shanghai Kiss at the festival a few years ago, so I decided to check it out. And, wouldn’t you know it, I just so happened to stumble across my old friends at Bigfoot Entertainment. That’s kind of a fun coincidence. And, after watching Shanghai Kiss, I’d have to say that the script’s light tone and the plot’s solvable problems definitely fit in with Bigfoot’s roster of other films. It’s totally different from Girl From the Naked Eye. Where that film is a stylized, intense, action thriller, this one is a sweet, little, romantic comedy about finding love, and coming to terms with one’s cultural roots.
Liam (Ken Leung) is a struggling actor in Los Angeles. He’s got the acting skills, but he has come to realize that there isn’t really a very high demand for Asian American actors. Most of the casting directors are only interested in whether he knows kung fu, even when he’s up for a totally neutral role, like a toothpaste commercial. On top of all this, he really doesn’t get along with his father very well. So, Liam’s been feeling pretty down on himself. And, that’s when the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Adelaide (Hayden Panettiere) enters his life. Addie is only a sixteen-year-old high school student, so most people see this as a highly inappropriate friendship, but her chipper, upbeat attitude is just what Liam needs to snap him out of his funk. Only, Liam is still so wrapped up in his problems that he doesn’t quite seem to realize it yet.
When his grandma in China dies, and leaves him her house, Liam has to travel back to Shanghai to figure out what to do with it. Sell it? Stay and live in it? His options are wide open. It’s there in Shanghai that Liam really has to face his crisis of identity. He comes from a place where he’s always seen as an Asian dude, but when he goes back to his ancestral home, he finds out that he fits in there even less. His Chinese relatives will only ever see him as an American—an outsider. So, it’s time for Liam to really think about what will really make him happy.
The story is light and sappy, with pretty people and sentimental themes. But, it also touches on some very real, personal, issues that many people struggle with. And, this issue of cultural identity vs. physical appearance is something that is uniquely American. It was a fun look at some of Ren’s other work. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more.
Liam (Ken Leung) is a struggling actor in Los Angeles. He’s got the acting skills, but he has come to realize that there isn’t really a very high demand for Asian American actors. Most of the casting directors are only interested in whether he knows kung fu, even when he’s up for a totally neutral role, like a toothpaste commercial. On top of all this, he really doesn’t get along with his father very well. So, Liam’s been feeling pretty down on himself. And, that’s when the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Adelaide (Hayden Panettiere) enters his life. Addie is only a sixteen-year-old high school student, so most people see this as a highly inappropriate friendship, but her chipper, upbeat attitude is just what Liam needs to snap him out of his funk. Only, Liam is still so wrapped up in his problems that he doesn’t quite seem to realize it yet.
The story is light and sappy, with pretty people and sentimental themes. But, it also touches on some very real, personal, issues that many people struggle with. And, this issue of cultural identity vs. physical appearance is something that is uniquely American. It was a fun look at some of Ren’s other work. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more.
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