Au Revoir Taipei (2010)

You won't be disappointed!

hyped garbage

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This film tells the story of a man who has an eventful evening in Taipei with a bookstore staff before he goes to Paris.I thought this film would be romantic and funny, but it is the exact opposite of what I imagined. The plot tries to be funny with the different subplots, but they all fall flat. The orange suited gang is not funny and the heist is not funny either. The score is repetitive, and uses the same sound effects over and over again. Acting is flat, as most characters are wooden and convey no emotions. I was thoroughly bored by this film.

Au Revoir Taipei is simply a balanced, fun, light-hearted movie that you should share with someone. Make sure that you both can live with reading the subtitles (unless you know the language). One can nitpick at any plot holes, or whether something like this could ever happen in real life. But throw all the suspicions and unnecessary skepticism out before you watch. It's simple fun with the premise that love can happen if one isn't blinded by what's around. Fun can happen if you immerse yourself into the cinema world of Taipei... and you feel as though you're truly a visitor. I hungered for street cart dumplings, myself, at the introduction of one character who can't get enough of them. There was very little, if any, CGI involved. No explosions or gratuitous violence, either. No one really wanted to hurt anyone else, and one character apologized when he actually did strike another a little too hard. The story line was not at all thick. Just a neat yarn about a guy in love, who's heart is misplaced. Yet the tale becomes intertwined as he gets involved with others who have their own ambitions, and through them, you understand that the main characters are in different stages of love. The result goes farther than anyone bargained, and all parties have to adjust to how each other reacts. A number of the characters were more interested in watching Asian soap operas on TV, and they don't realize that they're missing out of one with people they know! Not many have gravitated to Au Revoir, Taipei (at this writing, it has less than 1,000 votes), but if you like international cinema, find this film, a date that likes the same kind of movies, and share it with a bag of fresh-popped.

Au Revoir Taipei reminds me of some Western romantic films where love affairs are often thrown in with gangsters, cops, chases etc. But this film clearly is a lot more light hearted contained some hilarious dialogs between the characters. I laughed out loud during the interactions between the cops and between the real estate agents. The colors in this film are vibrant, contrasting the night sky, which is very pleasant to behold. There are many locations in the film which I recognized that only added to the realism. I wish there will be more movies like this coming out from Taiwan where intelligent plots and genuine comedic moments dominate.

On the recommendation of a friend who had seen this earlier and gave it the thumbs up, I too decided to give this Taiwanese film the go ahead at the expense of a Hong Kong one (which is also somewhat of an ode to the city according to the synopsis) and I soon found myself enjoying this production written and directed by first-timer Arvin Chen, which in essence is a crime-caper-romantic-comedy, putting two broad genres together with remarkable ease.The French words in the title alludes to our protagonist Kai (Jack Yao) in his pursuit of language excellence as his girlfriend has left for further studies in France. Dropping by a bookstore almost every night and treating it like a library, he soon gets the attention of the salesgirl Susie (Amber Kuo), who takes a liking toward Kai if not for his dedication and perseverance, and tries hard to strike up a conversation. The other narrative thread follows a local mafiaso Brother Bao (Frankie Kao) who is contemplating retirement, running a real estate company which serves as a front, managed by nephew Hong (Lawrence Ko) and his none too bright thuggish employees, all decked out in neon orange jackets.With plenty of interweaving narratives containing other smaller subplots such as a cop's relationship with his estranged girlfriend, and that of Kai's friend Gao who is infatuated with his convenience co-worker Peach, Au Revoir Taipei unravels itself mainly over one crazy night over Hong and his gang's pursuit of what is believed to be a package of supreme value, handed over by Bao to Kai to traffic to Paris when the latter seeks the former's help for monetary assistance to get him overseas. The title in Mandarin also serves as a pun for a snapshot / slice of Taipei, with its night markets and inevitable establishing shot of Taipei 101 (soon to become an equivalent of what the Eiffel Tower means to Paris), and phonetically it's sounding like spending a night in the city.The way the film is edited keeps the sprawling narrative threads always under control, and conjures up an experience of a whimsical budding romance against the more realistic elements of one turned sour because of being taken for granted, and another a failure to start because of the lack of basic courage. Much of the comedy comes from the bumbling idiots of henchmen under Hong, and bring genuine laughter for their various clueless antics. The finale offers no unexpected surprises, but it's the way that it gets delivered brings forth that sheer delight by the time the final scene unravels in a dreamy sequence.Winner of the NETPAC/Asian Film Award at Berlin last month, Au Revoir Taipei is a definite crowd pleaser which can find a ready audience if given a chance to be released in Singapore with the language kept intact.