Zhong Guo he huo ren

Film review Film title: American dreams in China (zhong guo he huo ren) Director: peter Chan(陈可辛) Year of release: 2013

This film is about a story about the road of 3 young man build their company and achieve success and their dreams. 'What is dream? Dream is what make you insist and let you feel happiness.' This is a famous sentence of Cheng. The film uses Chinese 'American dreams' as a background, tell us a story from the reform and opening-up the 3 young man build the education group and change their life via hard work. The entire film is nostalgic, it have a perfect details of old time: the old film in cinema and television, a lot of old song. At the beginning of the reform and opening-up, many people go overseas via various way. This is a society which full of opportunity. Three characters based on this background, he relationship between them helps to describe characters in the film. Meanwhile, the film uses a flashback narrative approach, it begins from their meeting in U.S., and then back to the beginning of their story.

Those 3 characters are different and have their own dreams. From the dressing we could know their have different background and character. Meng is aggressive and always seek for change. He is the only one got American visa and went to U.S. He is a smart men, he knows what is time's requirement, he knows how to maintain his profit and he knows what he want clearly. Meng is a men with full of ambition, he believe he could change the world. However once he arrive U.S., he notice that everything is far away from his imagination. He born in a rich family but in U.S. he experience the hard and tough of life. What he want is not wealth or property. He hope U.S. to understand that Chinese students are excellent and dignified. He hope U.S. to see the raise of China. When he saw the donate name at the lab which he used to work, he cried. This is what he required for. Cheng is from Chinese country who was failed twice in college entrance examination. He know that if he failed, he will stay in the country for life. From a loser of exam to the leader of education, his responsibility play an important role. When people attack his school, he is the only one dear to stand out just like in the university he stand out to stop people chasing Meng and Wang. Cheng is a representative of many successful people from country. Because of his hard work and his insistent, their education group shall success. Wang is a rebellious man with long hair. He always by Cheng's side and back him up. He is important for their relationship, he visited Cheng along when Cheng was in hospital. He always play peacemaker between Cheng and Meng. He trade the friendship is the number one. Meanwhile, he sacrificed many for the education company but do not have any complain. When facing American, Wang performs peacefully just like he knows the victory is theirs. When Cheng has been fired by university, he encourage Cheng cheer up and start his own company. The education company could not success with Wang. There is one scene impressive me, when Cheng and Meng have different opinions with the company's share, the director arrange a table tennis game to describe. Wang is on the right side of the table, Cheng and Meng play table tennis with him respectively and chat with Wang. Cheng and Meng both play with Wang but they do not play with each other actually. Wang is the messenger between Cheng and Meng. At last Wang lied to them because he does not wish squabble and try to maintain their friendship. This scene implicate that Cheng and Meng could not reach an agreement right now. Wang is the important person of the friendship among them. In conclusion, this film is a good product. It helps many middle age Chinese remember their youth. Everyone have a definition of success. This film also remind us do not forget our dreams once we have.

Music is especially good. The plot was exciting, but the story was told in a hurry. There is no nostalgic long lens, all rely on narration to inculcate, or ultimately ended. Tong Dawei is still that poker face, and the sense of integration with the characters is still so poor. Huang Xiaoming is either crying or laughing. After all, acting is an entry point. Deng Chao is the only one who seems to be performing.

Technically I think this movie's made very well, but its message is very nationalistic and panders to the Chinese Communist Party and the masses (which is fair enough I suppose for a commercial film).

Especially the film's latter half focuses on the rise of China, and there is a clear message that Chinese people are inherently cleverer, more moral and generally better than stupid Americans who are only economically at the top due to their aggressiveness and luck. There's also a very odd message in the film about racism in the USA, which seems quite irrelevant to the plot of the film and just another way for the film to push home the message that Chinese people are a better people than Americans.

If you don't read into the message too much (which is hard considering how hard it's pushed home), it's quite an enjoyable film of three young men's struggle and rise to the top.

I judge whether a movie is good or not entirely based on feelings. If a drama makes me cry, it is worth 8 points or higher. The narrative at the beginning of this film is interspersed between different eras, and the editing is a bit too fast, almost making me give up watching it. But this kind of movie grammar does not affect my appreciation. The struggle and entrepreneurial history of three ordinary young people, as well as the various frustrations and insights they experienced, moved me (almost to tears).

This movie is based on the "New Oriental" company's development. Many storylines have been seen in the news related to New Oriental, and now there are three things that I feel most deeply: 1. The Chinese people yearn for a better life and define the United States as the goal of a better life. This is the initial psychological motivation for generations of Chinese to continue to study English.

2. Even if they have learned proficient English and easily passed the GRE test, their way of thinking is not necessarily independent and mature. In some cases, they can even curse the United States and insult the teachers who helped them study English. On the one hand, they may be willing to enjoy the actual benefits of an unfair advantage and quibble about it (in a sensational way), on the other hand, they may be strongly dissatisfied with Objective criticism.

3. It may be difficult to start a business in China not only because the partners are 3 best friends since live from University, but also because they may choose the wrong industry. It is said that New Oriental is no longer able to continue to engage in education and training, and is seeking a career change. The real life of the three founders after 2021 may be even more challenging.

During the economic reform period of the 80's, three friends bind together by a common ambition – to live the American dream. The three leads Huang Xiao Ming, Deng Chao and Tong Dawei create a very believable camaraderie. It is possible to be happy for your friend doing well and envy him at the same time, and that is the central story between these three friends. Huang Xiao Ming brings his best performance thus far. He's not busy preening for the camera and posing a pretty boy as I have seen in his past works. It's partly the role itself as it asks Huang to start by playing a vulnerable teenage boy who eventually that ages into a man.

There's a trend of using very fast cuts in Mainland comedies right now. It originated with Ning Hao's 2006 heist comedy Crazy Stone - which drew its visual style from Guy Ritchie - and now it has officially embedded itself genetically as filmic grammar for Chinese comedic dialogue. There's a scene where two of the friends had a fight and complain about each other individually with the third friend over a ping pong game. The cutting is so fast between conversation A and conversation B that it's impossible for the audience to really feel what these characters are going through. These montages will happen every now and then to speed the story ahead. It's zany for sure, but at times I wish they would let the scenes breathe instead of zeroing in for laughs.

That said, it's smart on Peter Chan's part of picking up on this trend and using it here because American Dreams in China is a Mainland Chinese story made for the Mainland audience. The content may prove more difficult with English-speaking audiences whom aren't aware of the cultural context or why the 3 friends carry the values they do about America and the American Dream to laugh at it whole-heartedly.

Suffice to say, Chan balances the film well and it is impressive to see a Hong Kong director tune to a Mainland frequency. Best thing I can say about Peter Chan's direction is that he is worldly. He doesn't portray Americans as white devils, which makes things more interesting and engaging. American Dreams in China will connect with its audience, namely Chinese people who were born in the 80's, and those people will enjoy it. Everybody else I am not so sure but this is a nice gem of a film nonetheless.

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