Shanghai Kiss

Before Spike Lee came around, Black male actors weren't getting the best roles - a) They were usually the first to die in any movie, b) they normally played the roles of drug dealers, gangsters, criminals, slaves, convicts, and pimps). c) Their roles were restricted to action/crime, musical, or sports-related movies.

Spike Lee changed all of that and it's because of Spike that we got to see black actors, such as Denzel, Terrence Howard, and Jamie Foxx (to name a few)get powerful Oscar-worthy roles.

To date, Asian actors are still suffering in Hollywood.

The only roles Asian actors can get in Hollywood are: a) the evil Asian-villain who gets beaten by the white hero...and the white hero saves the beautiful Asian girl from the clutches of "Dr.Fu-Manchu" b) a gangster, Viet-Cong soldier, Shaolin-Monk, Martial Arts teacher, Chinese-takeout cook/delivery-man, computer-geek, pingpong player, etc... c) anything to do with Martial Arts

It's about time that we have an Asian Spike-Lee! David Ren has stepped up to the batter's box and hit a grand slam with this one and I hope that he comes back for more!

This flick has it all...relevant themes, great movie, great cast, and great director!

hi, looking at the poster makes you think it might be just another teen/high school/college movie about love, friends etc. but this movie did surprise me a lot in terms of plot and made me laugh without using the f word but instead by using clever dialogs and many small scenes.

It is a movie about a troubled Asian American men (Ken) in his late twenties - a wannabe actor, without job, financially still depended on his dad, whom he cant get along with. at the same time, he gets to know a young 16 year old gorgeous (Hayden) high school girl, whom he really likes, but having the age difference in his head, his moral tells him not to take advantage of that situation. His life suddenly changes when inherited a house in shanghai and he decides moving there to find his own identity and to accept the fact he is not only amercan, but also Chinese.

like any other romance movies, the movie also starts off a little bit cheesy in the beginning, where the two main antagonists meet each other in the bus. But behind that, the movie differs a lot from the usual concept of a romance movie. The main plot is basically about a man's journey finding meaning in life, at the same time involved in a love relationship which is socially not acceptable due to the age difference. Besides the thoroughly thought dialogs, the unique plot, what I personally like most is the way Asian American man is portrayed here. He is not some math nerd, some kung fu guy, he is just some normal guy who is fun and troubled at the same time. Like you and me. This movie is definitely suitable of watching with your girlfriend/date, but it can also be enjoyed by watching alone.

i am going to order it as soon as it is available in Germany, and if you find any grammatical mistakes, you can keep it for yourself!

Bought and viewed this film. Rate it an 8.

Think Ken so resembles Billy in his speech. Quite the actor and look forward to more of his films.

Was put off to buy with the white girl dominant on the cover. Reviewed more and so happy with the purchase.

Caucasion with a 22.5 difference age Tianjin girl. In Canada more tolerant of others. Quite disturbing to have the white girl dominant on the cover while this is Ken's movie. Hollywood and America have far to go.

Thousand Pieces Of Gold is some other unappreciated gem.

WOW, you gotta see this movie. It has a non-stereotypical Chinese male lead, which is totally rare in Hollywood films. It's a drama that has some comedic moments. It's about this 28 year old Chinese American (this part same as me) living in LA struggling with his acting career and how an opportunity to leave his normal confine changed his outlook on life and his relationship with his father and others. There is the childhood mother accident and the resulting blaming game. There is the overly positive (polar opposite of main character) girl. I know, the overall storyline is almost exactly like Garden State but the detail experiences are completely different. I actually like it a lot more than Garden State. There are less drug use and weird stuff, instead, it has more real life problems and emotions. I don't mind the former, I like Garden State too but the latter just makes you feel so much closer to the characters.

I love the scenes in Shanghai. I really want to go there now. LOL. I wonder if Hayden got the opportunity to visit while shooting the movie. BTW, all the actors were amazing (even the potential house buyer couple). The main actors displayed all range of emotions very convincingly.

I have to admit, I saw an illegal copy of the movie. But I liked it so much that not only am I going to purchase a legit DVD for myself, I'm going to buy a few to give them to my friends. It's unfortunate there is not enough promotion for it so I'm going to help spread the words myself.

I've been following this movie since before it even started shooting and managed to see it earlier this year at the San Francisco Film Festival. Now I see it's finally getting released. When I first read about it, I thought, an Asian guy dating a white girl in a Hollywood movie?! As an Asian guy myself I hoped it was good because I was sick of people like William Hung representing us. Harold and Kumar had a romantic subplot but it wasn't really the focus of the movie and Harold is a bumbling nerdy stereotype. The problem with AA movies is that none have been really good. Better Luck Tomorrow and Saving Face was probably the best (Motel's good), but where are the sex, lies, videotapes, Reservoir Dogs, Little Miss Sunshines, The Squid and The Whales? For an AA movie to break through into the mainstream, there needs to be a film that can be considered as great as any of those. Even better, it needs to be as good as the best movies out there: godfather, Annie Hall, The Apartment. So you can tell I had high expectations.

This movie surpassed my expectations. This is the film that is "good enough" to put AA cinema into the mainstream and I hope it leads the Asian American revolution and also, raises the standards of other Asian American movies. Good is not enough Asian American filmmakers, your movies need to be great. This movie was funny, sad, romantic, beautiful, and deals will so many issues like a young man struggling with feelings for a teenage girl, alcoholism and how it creates a wall to your family, the loss of a parent at a young age, communicational gaps between 2nd generation American and his 1st generation father, what it means to be American vs Chinese, racial stereotypes in Hollywood, leading a practical, stable life vs a fulfilling life (becoming a lawyer or an artist), maturity vs immaturity, following your heart vs complying to what's socially acceptable, - and it faces all these issues in a funny way. This movie is so funny and that's what makes it so enjoyable. It's not a message movie nor is it preachy. It doesn't try to make a statement, it just tries to entertain but the message, the statement comes through subtly. I hope other Asian American filmmakers take notice. The bar has been raised.