2 Young (US Version) VCD

Action star progeny Jaycee Fong is Fu, a poor kid attracted to rich princess Nam (Fiona Sit in her screen debut), which looks like a bad idea. Not only is she waaay up on the social ladder than he is, but she attends a prestigious girls school, and has not one, but two high-powered lawyers as parents. Her dad (Anthony Wong) is a media-famous barrister, while mom (Candy Yu) has retired so she can follow dad everywhere. Fu's parents are the opposite: dad (Eric Tsang) is a minibus driver, and mom (Teresa Mo) works at a restaurant. Nam is disappointed at her lonely, sad home life so she's more than willing to rebel. She accepts Fu's awkward advances and the two begin to date in blissful, rich-girl-meets-poor-boy style. Meanwhile, her father begins to get an inkling of her dating habits. Then Nam gets pregnant. Welcome to Hell.

After facing parental disapproval - and choosing to nix abortion - the kids choose to make it on their own. Pals get them cheap digs out in the sticks, and from there they basically play house, though with tougher responsibilities and consequences than taking your toys and going home. Fu needs to work, which leads to a variety of realistic and surprisingly interesting problems. Nam has to deal with her new low-income home, which actually is less of an issue than one would think. As played by Fiona Sit, Nam is egregiously chipper about exchanging high-class life for low-class living. Still, the happy-go-lucky attitude Sit puts on gives way to more realistic fears, and when she starts to voice her doubts to her unborn child, the moment is felt. Derek Yee basically lets Jaycee Fong and Fiona Sit act like themselves for all 100 minutes of 2 Young, but it works. They're genuinely likable and seemingly real, and neither carries any movie star baggage.

Derek Yee gives 2 Young little overt artifice. Despite the loaded storyline and afterschool special message, most of the interest is found in the day-to-day struggles, relationships, and the individual characters. The quartet of actors playing the parents are exceptional; the performances from Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo, Anthony Wong, and Candy Yu seem real and complete, such that their individual characters manage to balance out the eventual narrative necessities a film like this has. Eventually, there are big moments, i.e. soapbox speeches that are as alienating as they are unrealistic, and 2 Young manages two in the final fifteen minutes that are so jarring that they threaten to stop the movie cold. One, in particular, involves a character essentially shooting himself in the foot because it's the right thing to do; while this may be true, it's hardly realistic. But the performances work well enough to cover such obviousness.

2 Young has a few other problems. Some plot details are glossed over, and in a film with this much personal detail, the lack of certain explanations can be jarring, and can even make the film the film somewhat of a light affair. Still, 2 Young manages to be quietly accomplished and involving, and manages a surprising emotional hold on the viewer. The solid storytelling and appreciable humanity make 2 Young welcome and even surprising stuff. Yee takes unexceptional subject matter and wrings something genuinely engaging out of it, which in its own way is cause for minor celebration.

By Kozo - LoveHKFilm.com