And I Hate You So
Reviewed by YTSL
The title of this United Filmmakers Organization
(UFO) production aptly describes this (re)viewer's feelings towards at least
one, if not both, of the movie's two stars. This being said, I cannot
deny that I was not unappreciative of the last offering I watched in which
Aaron Kwok and Kelly Chan appear together (along with Takeshi Kaneshiro):
1998's "Anna Magdalena". Going into the cinema, it was of some comfort
to me too that this year 2000 work possessed the same director (Hai Chung-man
is someone who "graduated" from being a costume designer and art director),
scriptwriter (Ivy Ho also is the author of the screenplay of "Comrades, Almost
a Love Story") and star cinematographer (Peter Pau additionally lensed "The
Bride with White Hair" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") as that ultimately
charming as well as generally visually pleasing film.
AND I HATE YOU SO is indeed a beautifully shot movie (which really shows
a Hong Kong that looks pretty good; particularly the section(s) of the city
where Kelly Chan's herself not unphotogenic newspaper columnist character
dwells, and Teresa Mo's antique shop owner has her business). It also
features quite a bit of pleasingly - predominantly old Western (e.g., songs
sung by Edith Piaff and Nat King Cole) - atmospheric music (which got easily
and seamlessly incorporated into the film by way of the character played
by Aaron Kwok being the host of a radio show called "Vinyl Record Courier").
This romantic comedy also has an amusing and intriguing start: With
strong-willed and - opinioned Luna Ng - whose column's "Luna Talks" title
can apparently also be interpreted in Chinese as "Menstrual Cycle" - waking
up to commence a bitch of a day (week?) by finding out that her idiosyncratically
arrayed, book-laden apartment's electricity supply had been cut on account
of her apparently delayed payment of a bill, then proceeding to break a café's
china. Things get worse though for the character essayed by Kelly Chan
upon her finding a record that she had gifted a boyfriend for sale in an
antique (junk?) shop, trying unsuccessfully to repossess it, discovering
that the true personal story she relayed to the man (the appropriately not
very nice Cheung Yung is played by Aaron Kwok) who bought it has been publicly
aired by him for what may have been millions to hear, and consequently declaring
war on that insensitive individual.
Admittedly, much of AND I HATE YOU SO - including a subplot which pairs up
a zit-faced Teresa Mo and man-child acting Eric Tsang whose main reason to
be in the picture might well be to emphasize that older and uglier folk than
the film's two Cantopop idol leads can fall in love (too) -- is rather fluffy
and childish in tone. Nevertheless, it can be rather entertaining;
not/at least when the two main protagonists are at loggerheads (and committed
to multiply revenge themselves against the other). Quite a few prime
barbs and zingers - which implicate men and women in general -- also get
hurled and heard via Luna Ng's writings, which are expressively read aloud
and often accompanied by appropriate visuals, and Cheung Yung's (Aaron Kwok)
"on air" proclamations.
However the movie takes a turn for the worse upon the softening of its main
characters and mood. As such, even while there are amusing moments
past AND I HATE YOU SO's half way -- maybe even three quarter point -- mark,
I found the choice of conclusion way too dissatisfyingly "soft" and predictable.
Then there's the matter of that turn of events effectively callously giving
short shrift to the supporting characters portrayed by Jessica Hester Hsuan,
Mark Lui and a cameo-making Julian Cheung. Especially if the viewer
feels that (s)he does know people like them (not an impossibility since,
unlike the film's two stars, they don't come across as Divas; and neither
do they come across as cartoony figures the way that the characters played
by Mo and Tsang - both of whom are better known as comedians than serious
actors -- do), the latter development(s) will appear rather unfair.
My rating for the film: 6.5.