Would you forego true love for stardom? Wang Lee-hom [王力宏], (“Lust, Caution” and “Little Big Soldier”) directs “Love in Disguise” (戀愛通告) and also plays the lead character, Du Ming-han, a version of his real-life pop star-self living the high life, but having to hide his true feelings in the name of his professional image.
Wang's directorial debut appears to be a self-portrait disguised as a romantic comedy. And it's a promising start from the American-born Chinese superstar, whose far-reaching talent as a singer-songwriter, actor, producer and now director has given him notable successes, even seeing him dubbed “Elvis of the East” by the UK's Word Magazine.
In an exceedingly dislikeable display, Du's first performance in the movie is an excessively sensationalized, face-paint adorned, pop-tripe showcase that draws groans from viewers. That is until all is explained.
Famous from such a young age, Du knows no other life. Yet behind the image, something is missing and he soon discovers what it is. As Du departs from the concert, his manager Joan (Joan Chen, [陳沖], “Lust, Caution”) over-zealously praises his performance in a sickly and insincere way, only further heightening our distaste for Du's life. But before they can celebrate, there's a shocking development as their vehicle collides with something.
It turns out to be a young girl named Song Xiao-qing, played by Liu Yifei [劉亦菲], (“The Forbidden Kingdom”), a music college student, who immediately proceeds to play her guzheng instead of checking herself for injuries, and Du is mesmerized by what he sees and hears.
With assistance from his friend, the irritating Wei Zhi-bai (Chen Han-dien [陳漢典] — who also plays a version of himself), they have disguises made to fit in as “regular Joes” in order to attend the school where Song studies. The result is an amusing concoction of newfound freedom for the pair of celebrities as they comically attempt to maintain their personas as country bumpkins.
The tale is an interesting one, as not only is the plot far from the norm of mando-pop cinema, but its similarity to the director's life is also recognizable. Wang is a formally trained musician, who studied at the Eastman School of Music and later at Berklee College of Music in the U.S. His musical style is a fusion of hip-hop and R&B with traditional Chinese elements (such as Beijing Opera and Chinese classical orchestra).
Liu's character Song was written with her in mind and her depiction is one of shy school-girl rather than beautified damsel (as you'd be forgiven for assuming). Even Du's sidekick, Wei, becomes slightly less irritating towards the end, while overall, Joan Chen delivers the most diverse and memorable role.
The movie is easy to follow and doesn't feel labored by an overworked plot. It's simple, yet original narrative keeps the audience engaged and interested to find out what happens next. Unfortunately with all fables, it's more of a fairy tale and so the concluding sequences do follow a predictably clichéd progression, but nevertheless we find ourselves wanting to find out how Du gets himself out of the resulting situation.
Despite having to suffer the over-the-top performance right at the film's onset, the plot is surprisingly refreshing and the intro can be seen as a self-mocking showcase of today's music industry by the end sequences. One might even overlook the cheesy ending if only because it carries a moralistic message about the study of formal music and the importance of celebrity endorsement.
► Directed by Wang Lee-hom / With Wang Lee-hom, Liu Yifei, Chen Han-dien and Joan Chen / Drama / Taiwan / 2010 / 98 min. / Mandarin with English and Chinese subtitles / ★★★☆☆ / Now Showing /
