Deng yi ge ren ka fei

First time watching a movie with no whatsoever expectations as the casts are all unfamiliar to me except Vivian Chow. Turned out had so much fun watching the story unraveled despite the nonsensical plot involving fantasy-like angel theme. The actings of the casts were great and the chemistry among them was natural that even Boss Bao the so-called "gangster wannabe" ex-director character managed to provide numerous funny scenes along side the MCs.

Seriously though my first thought after 10mins into this movie was whether I want to continue watching it since I felt as if I was being thrown into a messed up, weirded out plot not knowing what to expect especially when the male MC appeared dressed up in bikinis, carrying a cabbage and on roller skate. I am glad I stayed put as I really enjoyed the simple romance journey between the MCs on learning what is love and crushes and having the courage to love and wishing happiness for the one you love. This movie is silly, weird, candid but tells the story of simple, pure love. I especially like how the romance story of the cafe owner being revealed and the relation with the MCs. As per the title of this movie, all of us are waiting for that someone who can see us the way we are.

Café. Waiting. Love (等一个人咖啡) is a romantic comedy film based on the novel of the same name written by Giddens Ko (柯景腾/九把刀) , who's also the writer/director for the 2011 Taiwanese hit, You Are the Apple of My Eye (那些年，我們一起追的女孩). The film is directed by Jiang Jin lin (江金 霖) instead of Giddens Ko himself. So, did they manage replicate the success of the previous film? Unfortunately, no.

The story is about Si Ying, a college freshman who gets a part-time job at "Café. Waiting. Love" coffee shop because she develops an instant crush for a good-looking popular boy named Zeyu, who's a frequent customer at the café, after he 'saved' her from a bus accident. Si Ying eventually meets with Ah Tuo, a 'legendary' college senior at the coffee shop. The two eventually become good friends after Si Ying daringly stands up for him when he is teased by his friends. As time passes, Si Ying learned that Ah Tuo is a passionate, honest, straightforward and sincere young man who has been working multiple part-time jobs to realize his dream of travelling around the world and formed a bond with him. On the other hand, Ah Tuo is also deeply attracted to her kindness and unique sense of right and wrong. However, Si Ying only sees Ah Tuo as nothing more than a good friend because of her crush on Zeyu, until finally when he decides to leave Taiwan for his travels then she finally realizes where her heart truly belongs.

While You are the Apple of My Eye (那些年，我們一起追的女孩) is a memorable, feel-good romantic comedy that gives the audience a familiar, nostalgic feeling about real-life adolescent romantic relationships (which I gave a high rating of 8.5/10), the romance presented in this one is rather unrealistic, nonsensical and occasionally silly to the point that it feels like it could only take place in films. Moreover, the romance is further hampered by the film's lack of seriousness and unrealistic portrayal of the characters. Come on, who is stupid enough to be willing to dress in a bikini and carry a cabbage for long periods of time? The character romances are handled rather poorly as the film lacks coherency and doesn't take itself seriously enough to let the audience feel that the romance is a serious matter.

The film is filled with too many cheesy, corny and cringe-worthy dialogues that makes some scenes really unbearable to watch. Aside from the ridiculous 'supernatural' or 'magical' scenes between the leads involving hot sausages and bowls of tau fu fah (Chinese hot sweet soybean pudding), the film also comes with a surprising plot twist that doesn't make much sense either. The café owner's (played by Vivian Chow) tragic love story is incredibly overdramatic to the point that it feels artificial and hard to relate with. Some of the romantic subplots are not resolved properly...the café's lesbian barista's feelings for the cafe owner is not addressed further or touched upon later on the film.

However, I have to admit that the film is beautifully shot, well-edited and wonderfully casted. Despite its silliness, some of the slapstick humour does work in some cases and manage to provide the audience a few laughs here and there. Jiang Jin lin (江金霖) and Giddens Ko (柯景腾/九把 刀) do know how to pick suitable good-looking stars with sufficient appeal (and knows how to act as well) to attract the audiences. The assembled cast (especially Vivian Sung 宋芸樺, the female lead) tried their best to convey the necessary character emotions convincingly to the audience.

Although the romance between the lead characters is there, the film doesn't express its themes well enough. Basically, the film tries to show us the difference between love and infatuation. Since infatuation can sometimes lead to real love, these feelings are most often confused for each other by many people. Infatuation is the state of being completely carried away by passion without reason and depends largely on physical attraction. When you experience infatuation, you tend to have difficulty concentrating and your mind is totally consumed by thoughts of the other person. You constantly wondering about what they do, who they're with and your mind filled with uncertainties about whether they really love you or not. Eventually, you have an idealized vision of what this person is like without truly knowing them at all (by imposing various qualities we desire most in that person).

On the other hand, true love is something different. Love is a tender, passionate, intense affection for another person. Love is a gradual process that only deepens with the passage of time. You can tell this person anything about yourself...he/she is someone you can express yourself freely, a person you can fully trust and confide your secrets with. You tend to feel safe, secure, peaceful and comfortable when you're with that person. Most importantly, you truly care for the person even after knowing his/her faults.

Overall, this film is a massive letdown that didn't live up to my expectations. If you're fan of the novel or Giddens Ko (柯景腾/九把刀), you might be able to sit through most of the silly scenes and forgive its flaws and absurdities. But for me, it's definitely a miss.

As usual, director Giddens Ko starts off his second installment of the love trilogy with the same hilarious, ridiculous yet unnecessary style of humors but luckily, unlike You're the Apple of My Eyes, it only takes one quarter of the film. Plot wise, it is a simple and straightforward love story taking place in café and college, the tone is generally delightful with balanced jokes, interchanging with some emotional flashbacks and surprisingly rapidly progressing into a twisted climax. Though leading by young casts, both Vivian Sung and Bruce work hard to present a sweet and charming chemistry, at the the same time supported by the amazing performance from Vivian Chou and several other strong supporting cast, as well as lovely scores throughout the entire film. Overall, it inspires that love is not perfect and not always ended happily, but combining the elements of courageous, sacrifice, patience and forgiveness, it will turns into happiness in life, making it one of the most emotional and epic love story ever for an Asian production.

Café. Waiting. Love. is the second part of novelist Giddens Ko's trilogy of love stories – the first part being the popular You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011) and the last, Achoo, is slated for release next year. The three movies, though, does not seem to be a continuation of the same storyline, as for this film, the focus shifts to Li Siying (Vivian Sung), a college freshman, and A-Tuo (Bruce), a college student who has delayed graduation for seven years.

Despite not directing this film, Giddens Ko's pervasive influence extends throughout Café. Waiting. Love – he is not only the author of the original novel, but also credited as the Producer and Screenwriter of this movie. It is then somewhat inevitable that Café. Waiting. Love. bears similarities to You Are The Apple Of My Eye, in terms of the ridiculous events in the storyline (skating around in a bikini, and producing food from one's head). That said, Café. Waiting. Love. holds its own against its predecessor, in part thanks to director Chiang Chin- lin.

The film is Chiang's first full-length feature film, after working as the executive director on You Are The Apple Of My Eye. With Chiang at the helm, the film avoids being self-indulgent and overly sentimental, traps that You Are The Apple Of My Eye might have fallen into. This is not to say that Café. Waiting. Love. pays less attention to detail or is harder to relate to. Chiang does a good job in adapting the novel to film, making it interesting enough to sustain the viewer's attention for the two hours, with unexpected twists and turns and introductions to new characters. The storytelling also makes the film enjoyable to one unfamiliar with the novel, when other adapted films might have assumed that the viewer had prior knowledge of the storyline.

Like the director, the film is the two main leads' – Sung and Bruce – movie debut. The two newcomers play their characters reasonably well, holding their own against the older, more experienced actors like Pauline Lan and Li Luo, who play Golden Knife Auntie and Brother Bao respectively. Back to the main couple – Sung's character, Siying, is the primary narrator of the story, who somehow gets employed in the café central to the story, while A-Tuo (Bruce) is her college senior and a college legend. After a series of coincidences, Siying and A-Tuo become good friends, and, as in all romantic comedies, A-Tuo inevitably falls for Siying. Siying, however, pines for the classic Prince Charming – Zeyu – who might not be who she thinks he is. Unlike typical rom-coms, A-Tuo urges Siying to chase after Zeyu while chasing her at the same time.

In comparison, Bruce stands out more than Sung by virtue of his character in the movie. The viewer is first introduced to A-Tuo as a bikini-wearing, roller-skating college senior, while beneath his happy- go-lucky exterior is someone hugely sentimental… just barely. Bruce does a good job in acting as the underdog for Siying's affections, and is convincingly innocent, making the viewer root for A-Tuo as he woos Siying.

Another standout character is Abusi (or Albus, played by Megan Lai), the barista of the café, which Siying is employed in. Lai, who cut her hair for the film, is handsome and mysterious as Abusi, and manages to leave a strong impression in the viewer despite her short screen time and even shorter script. Coupled with the ethereal Vivian Zhou as the owner of the café, the café exudes an air of otherworldly-ness, which might be more apt than expected.

The film has also been said to be an exploration of the act of waiting for love, and it can be said that everyone in the film was waiting for someone else. With this theme, one would expect the film to be draggy and filled with passive, uninspiring characters. This was not the case, as although there was a lot of waiting, this was not the central defining characteristic of the characters. In fact, while waiting is necessary, the film shows that doing something about it would probably vastly improve your chances.

The film's twists and turns, and occasional sweat drop moments, do bear the stamp of a Giddens Ko novel and his ability to think out of the box. Viewers should not catch the movie expecting it to be a copy of You Are The Apple Of My Eye, but instead appreciate it as it is – a funny, heart-warming and endearingly-ridiculous film.