It is my pleasure to be able to review "A Date on Portland Street". It could be described as romantic, funny, dark, depressing; all these things would certainly be true. The main point to note, particularly from the perspective of a Western viewer, is that HK Romantic films in no way resemble the dire, and painfully cheerful monotony of typical British and American cinematic Romance. This film has a soft, romantic side, but it is soon challenged by themes of loneliness, failure and pessimism, making the entire movie both absorbing and much more interesting. Moving onto casting, Kelvin Wong is exceptional in this film, moving far away from his "villain" typecasting, with which he has been labeled, within HK cinema. His performance is complex, and he successfully highlights his characters' immaturity, but at the same time a sense of bawdy flirtations, and deeply withheld dissatisfaction with his life. Li Feng Xu provides a strong female lead and sustains the independent woman character who could effectively lead a life without Zhang Wei, yet they remain together despite growing differences.
Director, Zhang Zeming creates a dark and ultimately bittersweet Romantic drama which comes across as refreshing and interesting especially compared to some of the genre's disposable garbage, courtesy of Hollywood and Britain's "Working Title Films" (eg- Hugh Grant). The film is, at times, challenging, but well worth a look. The editing back-and-forth between Zhang Wei in London and Hong Kong creates occasional confusion about where exactly he is at any one point. Yet the overall "feel" of the film is one which certainly deserves wider recognition and praise. Well worth taking a look.
