Say what you will about film tycoon and jack of all trades Wong Jing (too numerous projects as director, producer, writer, actor and probably caterer to count here), his movies never seem to go away, regardless of how mundane.
Take Love Generation as an example. Released back in 1998, it has somehow managed to pull a mainland "special edition" re-release on DVD and VCD, for the first time featuring a Putonghua soundtrack recorded by the actors themselves as opposed to moonlighting artists with ridiculously unreal voices.
One may certainly question this romantic comedy's contribution to cinema, but Mr. Wong never made any boisterous claims to creative superiority, instead concentrating efforts on easily conjured, readily sellable films with ultimate populist appeal. For this one, Wong enlisted Shu Qi, then fresh from her erotic stint and as entertaining as always (Ms. Shu remains one of the most impressive actresses around today), although not the show's star, sadly.
For that we get Carina Lau and Leon Lai (Maggie and Bill), a couple who's love drifted away thanks to boring, dead end lives (basically two losers, if you will). After a stormy breakup in front of a restaurant they couldn't afford anyway, both go their way, hoping to never look back.
A few years later an accidental encounters in Japan re-ignites dormant passions. By then Bill became a billionaire businessman entangled with eccentric superstar celeb Joey (Shu Qi), while Maggie has also done better for herself and engaged attractive mafioso He Ping. Needlessly complicating things further is Bill's assistant, Moon (Lee Ann), desperately in love with her boss yet fearful of expressing these deep-rooted feelings.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there's really only one uplifting facet to Love Generation, in the form of a typically excellent and naturally charming Shu Qi. Besides her presence, this particular Wong Jing escapade doesn't posses a single trait capable of rescuing it from the cookie cutter. If court ordered to sit through this than you could do worse, but don't go out of your way to look for a copy.
Rating: * *
