James Berardinelli's review

http://www.reelviews.net/movies/s/shanghai_kiss.html

ROMANTIC COMEDY/DRAMA
United States, 2007
U.S. Release Date: 10/9/07 (DVD)
Running Length: 1:46
MPAA Classification: Unrated (Profanity, sex, brief nudity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Ken Leung, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Hu, Joel Moore, James Hong
Directors: Kern Konwiser, David Ren
Screenplay: David Ren
Cinematography: Alexander Buono
Music: David Kitay
U.S. Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment

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Shanghai Kiss starts out like it's going to be a standard-order romantic comedy, but it doesn't take long before it has morphed into something different and more interesting. Yes, the film contains its share of romantic entanglements and love becomes a motivation for more than one character's actions, but the feature debut of co-directors David Ren and Kern Konwiser aspires to be more profound than a run-of-the-mill boy-meets-girl tale. Shanghai Kiss is about connecting with people, culture, and especially one's own identity. Before the lead character can love another, he must understand himself.

That person is Liam Liu (Ken Leung), a rootless would-be actor who spends his days in Los Angeles auditioning and hoping for a call-back. He is estranged from his alcoholic father (James Hong), but dependent upon the allowance checks that arrive monthly. His best friend is Adelaide (Hayden Panettiere), a pretty and perky teenager he meets one day on a bus. She's convinced they are a couple, but he's not so sure. The 12 year age gap frightens him, but not as much as the thought of becoming emotionally intimate with another person. For Liam, sex is a lonely thing. He is never more alone than when lying in bed with a woman.

His life changes when he unexpectedly inherits a house in Shanghai from his grandmother. He makes the trip to China to sell the house but, when the deal collapses, he finds himself at loose ends. That's when he meets and falls for Micki (Kelly Hu), a beautiful, sophisticated Chinese woman whose impact upon him is so profound that he drops everything and moves to Shanghai. But he soon finds that the true nature of his identity is not so easily uncovered. In the United States, his Asian appearance is his essential characteristic. In China, his American attitude defines him. To find himself, he must make peace with both aspects of who he is.

For David Ren, this is obviously a personal story, emphasizing the rule that first-time filmmakers are at their best when they craft something from the heart. The screenplay is tightly written and avoids common missteps - there are no artificial romantic complications and no awkward scenes in which individuals step out of character just to get a laugh. There are many keenly observed small scenes: Liam's friend (Joel Moore) getting shot down after working up the courage to approach a woman, Liam hiding his tears after sex, and his subtle rejection of Adelaide's attempts at intimate contact (he will not allow her to kiss him on the lips). Shanghai is beautifully photographed, capturing not only its brightness but its restless energy. New York isn't the only city that never sleeps.

Ken Leung, a veteran actor with more than two dozen credits on his resume, brings an acerbic edge to Liam. For the first half of the film, he's not especially likeable. He's lonely, withdrawn, and morose. Gradually, he begins to lighten up and care about something beyond his inner turmoil. The transformation happens a little too quickly and is capped with a gift of exaggerated generosity, but Leung breathes life into a man we connect with by the time the closing credits roll. Hayden Panettiere displays the same spunk she showed in Remember the Titans and Racing Stripes. (This was filmed before Heroes lifted her from relative obscurity. Her change in fortunes resulted in an alteration to Shanghai Kiss's marketing strategy and poster - she's now prominently featured.) Unfortunately, Kelly Hu's performance is uneven. There are scenes, such as the one in which she is introduced, where she's a little flat.

I'm not privy to the film's budget, but Shanghai Kiss has a polished, professional look one does not often find in independent, direct-to-DVD productions. It also has more heart and brains than many multiplex movies. "Direct-to-DVD" has become a liability, largely because the lion's share of productions in that category lack the care and effort lavished upon this one. Shanghai Kiss is an exception, and I'm glad I invested the time to immerse myself into Ren and Konwiser's vision.

© 2007 James Berardinelli