Say Yes!

101次求婚

China/Japan, 2013, colour, 2.35:1, 101 mins.

Director: Chen Zhengdao 陈正道 [Leste Chen].

Rating: 4/10.

Odd-couple rom-com is weakly written and lacks any chemistry between its leads.

STORY

Shanghai, the present day. Star Taiwan cellist Ye Xun (Lin Zhiling) is set up by her best friend, bridal dress-shop owner Taozi (Qin Hailu), on a blind date with a rich businessman, Zhao Yongge (Wang Xun). By mistake, however, she meets blue-collar handyman Huang Da (Huang Bo), who is separately on a blind date to meet a woman called Tan (Chen Ran). After they resolve their misunderstanding, each meets their planned dates – but in the same restaurant, where it turns out that Huang Da already knows Zhao Yongge, who still owes him over RMB100,000 for construction work on his villa. When Zhao Yongge’s suspicious wife (Jiang Xiwen) suddenly turns up, Ye Xun pretends that Huang Da is her date. While driving him home, she learns that Huang Da was on his 99th blind date: he’s almost given up trying to find a partner. When Ye Xun urges him to keep trying and to believe in himself, Huang Da falls for her on the spot. Next day, along with his three workmates, Huang Da visits Shanghai Art Centre to collect his money from Zhao Yongge – who is there for talks about sponsoring the centre’s orchestra – but Zhao Yongge tries to soft-soap him again. When Huang Da bumps into Ye Xun and Taozi, both help him to reclaim the debt from Zhao Yongge. To thank the two women, Huang Da and his workmates take them out for dinner, but Ye Xun leaves when Huang Da argues that love = money. Taozi explains to him that Ye Xun was left at the altar three years by her photographer fiance Xu Zhuo (Gao Yixiang) and still feels the hurt. But she urges Huang Da to show self-confidence in pursuing Ye Xun, whatever she may say.

REVIEW

The most crucial element in any rom-com – screen chemistry between its leads – is signally absent in Say Yes! 101次求婚, an odd-couple romance that teams goofy Mainland comedian Huang Bo 黄渤 with Taiwan model-turned-actress Lin Zhiling 林志玲 to rapidly declining effect after a promising opening. Though professionally directed at a technical level by young Taiwan director Chen Zhengdao 陈正道 [Leste Chen] (The Heirloom 宅变, 2005; Eternal Summer 盛夏光年, 2006), the film never catches light at an emotional level and sometimes just sits there marking time.

Chen drew from Lin her only substantial performance so far in his previous rom-com, Love on Credit 幸福额度 (2011). But in Say Yes! it’s not just that she seems to be on a spacey plane of her own throughout the movie, or that Huang has a permanent I-have-to-rescue-this-picture-somehow look on his face. After an intriguing first 15 minutes that sets up the meet-cute situation, the script by first-timer Zhang Wei 张巍, based on a 20-year-old Fuji TV Network drama 101st Proposal 101回目のプロポーズ  (1991) starring Takeda Tetsuya 武田铁矢 and Asano Atsuko 浅野温子, has little dramatic structure and becomes more ridiculous as it proceeds, especially with the introduction of an absurdly cliched figure from the past (woodenly played by Taiwan model-actor Gao Yixiang 高以翔). Genuine chemistry between the two leads could still have helped save the movie but, with no support from the feeble score by Japanese composer Tachibana Asami 橘麻美, it’s left to supporting actress Qin Hailu 秦海璐 (as the best friend of Lin’s character) to inject occasional bursts of energy. More often seen in serious roles (Durian Durian 榴莲飘飘, 2000; The Piano in a Factory 钢的琴, 2010; Return Ticket 到阜阳六百里, 2010), Qin alone earns the film an extra point with her refreshingly sparky performance.

The beauty-and-the-beast aspect of the original TV drama series is actually played down by having Huang looking the most “normal” in his career. But he’s still believable as a good-natured, blue-collar type whose lack of self-confidence in the game of love has left him partner-less. However, even on a rom-com level Lin scarcely convinces as a celebrity cellist, and neither actor gets much help from the pedestrian dialogue. Apart from Qin, the rest of the supporting cast are okay, and Japanese veteran Takeda even pops up for a dramatically unnecessary cameo.

Technical credits are good-looking, with glossy photography in Shanghai by Taiwan d.p. Jiang Minzhong 江敏忠 (Love on Credit) and smoothly enough edited by Hong Kong’s Li Dongquan 李栋全 [Wenders Li]. The Chinese title preserves the original title (and meaning) of the Japanese TV series; the film’s English title is that of the 12th (final) episode in the series, with an exclamation mark added for effect. The original TV drama was already adapted into a 20-part Mainland TV series in 2003, a 16-part South Korean series in 2006, and a 1993 South Korean movie (101st Proposal 백한번째  프로포즈), starring Mun Seong-geun 문성근 | 文盛槿 and Gim Heui-ae 김희애 | 金喜爱 and directed by Oh Seok-geun 오석근 | 吴爽根 (Love Is a Crazy Thing 연애, 2005).

CREDITS

Presented by New Classics Media (CN), Fuji Television Network (JP), Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (CN), Haining Asia Media (CN). Produced by New Classics Media (CN), Fuji Television Network (JP), Village Roadshow Pictures Asia (CN), Haining Asia Media (CN), Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (CN).

Script: Zhang Wei. Adaptation: Ren Peng. TV series: Nojima Shinji. Photography: Jiang Minzhong. Editing: Li Dongquan [Wenders Li]. Music: Tachibana Asami. Music supervision: Chen Junting. Art direction: Luo Shunfu. Costumes: Wang Fengdeng. Sound: Li Tao, Zhao Nan, Yang Jiang. Visual effects: Sun Min.

Cast: Huang Bo (Huang Da), Lin Zhiling (Ye Xun), Qin Hailu (Taozi, Ye Xun’s best friend), Gao Yixiang (Xu Zhuo, Ye Xun’s ex), Takeda Tetsuya (Hoshino Tetsuro, Ye Xun’s music professor), Cheng Yi (Mei, cousin), Wang Xun (Zhao Yongge), Jiang Xiwen (his wife), Li Haibin (Xiong, Huang Da’s workmate), Zhao Bingrui (Tiger, Huang Da’s workmate), Liu Chunlong (Stone, Huang Da’s workmate), Liu Shining (Mr. Yan), Chen Ran (Tan, Huang Da’s 99th blind date), Hua Shao, Li Han (TV show hosts), Christophe (Tony), Qin Yan (Tony’s fiancee), Zhuo Tianquan (pianist), Zhao Xiaolu (Huang Da’s 100th blind date).

Release: China, 12 Feb 2013; Japan, 19 Oct 2013.

(Review originally published on Film Business Asia, 24 Mar 2013.)