|
"Can I order a big
bowl of shame, please!"
There are strong elements of "Lost in
Translation" to be found in this hidden gem
called, "Shanghai Kiss". In all honesty,
this is a film that wouldn't have seen the
light of day without the presence of Hayden
Panettiere -- the radiant, young,
all-American blonde from the hit TV-show,
"Heroes". Her recent explosion in popularity
with the male half of the country helps this
movie get some play on DVD -- a DVD that
makes the wise decision to feature her on
the cover more prominently than the actual
star of the film.
That star is Asian actor, Ken Leung, who
plays Liam -- a man who lives in L.A.,
seemingly adrift in life, penniless and
without prospects. He is spending a lot of
time with a 16-year old high-school girl
called Adelaide (Panettiere). Their
relationship is platonic... although it
flirts with being romantic. She is in love
with him. He keeps his distance, very aware
of the consequences should he give into
temptation. For now, he drives her to and
from school... They do laundry together...
It seems very much a friendship that will
bloom into something more on the day that
she turns 18.
One day, he gets the call that his
Grandmother has passed away in Shanghai -- a
relative he has never even met.
Nevertheless, she has left him her house,
valued at half a million. So, in order to
sell the house, he ventures off to China --
a country he feels very little connection
to.
The connections to the aforementioned "Lost
in Translation" are somewhat clear -- a
forbidden love and a journey to an
unfamiliar Asian metropolis. There are even
some scenes that seem to have fallen right
out of Sofia Coppola's camera.
Once in Shanghai, Liam tries to deal with
the house situation during the day while
cavorting around town at night. However,
each night, Adelaide calls, further
complicating his emotions. He is torn
between the women he casually sleeps with
and the true feelings he has for the girl he
cannot be with. This conflict, along with
other familial conflicts, lies at the heart
of his discontent. After meeting a girl
named Micki (Kelly Hu) in Shanghai, he is
torn between the cold, harsh reality of Los
Angeles and the warm inviting arms of his
ancestral roots.
"Shanghai Kiss" is a terrific little movie
with a few minor flaws. For the most part,
the script is witty and engaging -- but,
every now and then, it feels like forced
exposition. It occasionally ventures into
the dreaded "valuable life lessons" tone
that can come across as fake. Still, the
vast majority of the screenplay is fresh and
entertaining.
The performances are all superb. Leung is an
original -- conveying a nice blend of goofy
and sincere at all times. With this effort,
he proves that he deserves more leading
roles.
Hayden Panettiere is a burst of energy every
time the camera points her way. The lighting
guys can probably have the day off when she
shows up on set. The first time I can
remember seeing her was in "Ally McBeal"...
and it was immediately clear that she had
star quality. It is no different in "Heroes"
and in this movie. Hayden is here to stay.
Kelly Hu also has some quality minutes here.
This is the first evidence I've seen that
she can act her way past the "token Asian
hottie" tag that has followed her in recent
roles.
All in all, this is a film with laughs,
drama and romance. It deserves an audience
on DVD and should rank as pleasant surprise
to all those who give it a shot.
©
Written by TC Candler |
Director
Kern
Konwiser
David Ren
Cast
Ken
Leung
Hayden Panettiere
Kelly Hu
Running Time
106m
Rated
PG13
Official
Website
n/a |
