Happy Valentine's Day MDL! Here is my gift to you all!
Story
Valentine's Day and its lovey-dovey atmosphere really suits this movie to a T. The story was meant to be a cliché from the beginning with its separated and reunited lovers trope. As the story is nothing special, the script writers did what they could to spice things up. I do like how they made it closer to real life by not including a real villain girl or guy, letting time be the only obstructive construct.
Acting/Cast
This is hands-down a great cast. The passion conveyed through the main couple is amazing. I have no complaints about the main characters are seasoned actors who both did a great job. There were some side characters that had potential for development, namely the production manager as the first one who knew the couple's secret and the girl's rival agent. The agent may have been slated as a villain but later removed to the half-baked persona she was in the movie. She could have potentially been more if it wasn't a movie.
Music
Music was a solid pillar in this movie, deserving of its solid 7. I believe the music was great, not the crap pop like I expected, but rather soothing and ballad-like. This is a brand of Jay Chou who revolutionized the Chinese pop industry into being less pop. Although Li Yifeng was a successful star in the movie, he did not sing. He would have been talent less if not for his mad piano skills, which contribute to the not quite pop atmosphere.
Speaking of not pop genres, the blues and jazz make an appearance here. Talk about multicultural!
Rewatch Value
I think I've seen too much Li Yifeng this season. This movie is definitely a chick flick and I probably will not be watching this again until the next Valentine's Day.
Background/Setting (extra)
What the production did with the setting was amazing. They showcased the better parts of Shanghai with snippets throughout the movie. It was a shame that they did not film on the hot air balloon, but rather opting for distance shots.
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