Happy Birthday (US Version) DVD Region All
Rene Liu (Actor)
| Louis Koo (Actor)
| Lawrence Chou (Actor)
| Bowie Tsang (A-Baw) (Actor)
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Customer Review of "Happy Birthday (US Version)"
Average Customer Rating for this Edition:
(2)
Average Customer Rating for All Editions of this Product: (4)
Average Customer Rating for All Editions of this Product: (4)
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numinair
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August 29, 2007
This customer review refers to Happy Birthday (Hong Kong Version)
See all my reviews
August 29, 2007
This customer review refers to Happy Birthday (Hong Kong Version)
Afraid of Love?
|
Although Mi celebrated her birthday by hearing Nam's distanced words over the telephone, when calling to wish Mi "happy birthday" - I wondered why she didn't get worried much about Christmas and Valentine's Days. They also can be lonely times when parted from someone you, deep down, really love. Was it more Mi's 'me' time, though, than a 'we' time, as she was afraid of total commitment with Nam and Christmas and Valentine's wouldn't be on the cards I guess, those being more committed relationship days. The main important aspect I found, though, with this movie is - confidence. A trust in another (and ourselves) and in many things other than mere love. Mi, played excellently by actress Rene Liu (I'm a fan now and she also wrote the short story this is based on) finds she cannot commit to a solid relationship with Nam, due to her personal inner un-certainties, so decides to have only a 'best friend' relationship with Nam. They pretty well then become more like a brother and sister in this regard. Mi then leaves for distant shores and gets only communications from Nam on her birthday's that she so eagerly awaits. Although Mi's confidence seems fragile, interestingly she gets increasingly skilled in playing the piano and practices to perfection, which she manages to accomplish as her goal without faltering. She doesn't seem to have compete lack of self confidence with accomplishments altogether - more to do with the unpredictability of intimacy with another human being (even one she knows well in Nam) that evokes her uncertainty. When she gets slight subtle doubts of a perfect romance towards Nam, its causes her distress and the shadow doubts of romantic failure. It balks her commitment. But I thought, that Mi's piano playing was somehow, a sort of way of her accomplishing, through music, a doorway to trust in the intangible and erratic nature of romance and relationship. The conclusion doesn't really suggest this, but her music confidence here is a good contrast to the theme. In this film Mi and Nam's relationship is also very ordinary, not a pedestal 'up there in the clouds type of archetypal romance' in film, but an illustration of commonplace human contacts. Mi and Nam have a shyness in romance that is expressed in a reflection of everyday bumblings at things (like the out of tune karaoke singing and playful meal eating), which is what anyone can be like one time or another and a sort of 'every person' portrayal at how it can be when couples are tentative, coy, afraid and sometimes extremely uneasy about relationships. Mi does seem also to be within the modes of isolation, and in a minor key, is somewhat a remote individual afraid of losing to ideal love. The one thing that struck me, though, after watching "Happy Birthday" was that Mi's fear of commitment with Nam, by the ironic conclusion to the film - pretty well validates all her inner concerns by what happens in the end (trying to be vague here to avoid a spoily woily!). I thought after, though, that maybe Mi's fear of loss could have been looked on as prophetical. It may not be, I'm just looking at the film as it stands, but its a melodramatic and ironic closer. Overall, this movie is an interesting venture into the fragile heart of love. The acting is very well performed and both Rene and Louis are two pleasant and likable people that you can find frustrating that they cannot come together, due to Mi's almost paranoid nature. Or is it more stubbornness? The fractured styled editing and story telling will be the one area that could make this film a little difficult. It plays out with parallel scenes and flash backs that, in this case, are a bit too swift in pacing to cover quickly the 10 years of Nam and Mi's college days to present. But its an enjoyable film. |
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Kevin Kennedy
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June 10, 2007
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June 10, 2007
An admirable failure
| "Happy Birthday" lacks emotional impact for several reasons. First, the film covers a span of ten years in the lives of the characters acted by Louis Koo and Rene Liu, but Koo and Liu simply are not believable in the early years. They are very good-looking 30-somethings, but they no longer can pass for 20 year old college students. Second, the story-telling is disjointed. It sometimes is difficult to follow the sequence of the film's unchronological presentation of events. Third, it is difficult to become emotionally engaged in a relationship between two characters who themselves are unwilling to invest in and commit to the relationship. While the movie is well-acted and nicely shot, it ends up an admirable failure with no narrative drive or emotional climax. |
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Gloria
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April 21, 2007
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April 21, 2007
A must-have for romantics!!
| Despite the boring title, the movie will play around with your emotions. Very promising casts that ensure the quality of the movie. |
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rain
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March 26, 2007
This customer review refers to Happy Birthday (Hong Kong Version)
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March 26, 2007
This customer review refers to Happy Birthday (Hong Kong Version)
Happy Birthday
| This movie was surprisingly good. Very different to your typical hk love story chick flick, which was refreshing to see. Good performances by the cast, and the ending was a bit of a tear jerker. |
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United States - English