De Mai tính

Have seen many Vietnamese movies so far, I have to confess that 'De Mai Tinh' (Fool for love) is the best one describing a modern love in the Vietnamese modern society. It's beautiful, romantic like a fairy-tale with a happy ending. You may know what is going to happen at the end,but you cannot help watching it joyfully. Saigon and Nha Trang, in the movie, become the two Vietnamese paradises. Music is likely a string with scenes hung on. Thao Trang's voice is sexy like a jasmine flower. In the dark stage, it appear like the scent of the best perfume. The characters, especially the homosexual, all drive thew story through twists and twists. With interesting details, we may laugh, we may cry, just like we are walking on a line - between comedy and tragedy. A+ for the casting team when the choose appropriate persons for the roles. People may not think the movie shows the real love in the today world, girls/women may choose rich men with expensive cars, living in mansions. However, love is all around. When it catches us, we do not know what is happening. And our decisions can be Mai's (In Vietnamese, the title of the movie means 'Let Mai decide/choose/think'). We control our lives, we choose what we want. In love, the most happiest thing is that we love the ones we need. We do not marry to money. The message of 'Fool for love' is old but clear. This movie teaches us how to live and how to love.

Typically you know what you are getting into when you go see a movie billed as "romantic comedy." And often they lack romance or comedy and sometimes both. Not to mention that the simplicity of the characters often make the movie very predictable. That said, romantic comedies often don't work overall and viewers are left with a few good moments here or there. All that is said to explain what you won't find in "Fool For Love." That is because the two main characters, in particular Dustin Nguyen's character "Dung" have a complexity to them that creates a real life foundation from which the romance and comedy can be built. And that is a great thing because the movie is so satisfying on both levels of romance and comedy. And of course kudos go out for making an ending that that is equally as satisfying as the movie...not predictable, but very fitting for a good romantic comedy. Perhaps the biggest drawback is again seeing a very stereotypical, feminine, over the top gay character, yet it is hard to hate the character too much when he provides so many laughs that are sometimes even more clever than the stereotypical character he portrays. And how the other characters in the film relate to him is so kind and loving that it turns him into someone who is not an outcast, but accepted for who he is. Too bad it can't be in wider release and more American's can't take time out to read subtitles!

Apparently this is among one of the best Vietnamese movies so far I have seen.

To be honest, there are not many Vietnamese movies right now that after watching, you are going online and submitting a review complimenting on it. Well, guess what, De Mai Tinh is one of them.

I seriously LOVE Kathy Nguyen. I've been in love with her acting since the very first time I saw her in Chuyen Tinh Xa Xu (and I love this movie too). She's been doing a great job of illustrating the image of a modern Vietnamese woman. I've been looking for all kinds of Vietnamese movies before, and most of them are concerned with the images of women in the past. I'm not saying that it's not right or something, what I'm saying is not many images of modern Vietnamese women have been portrayed, and Kathy has done a great job of doing so. The other day I was watching "How I Met Your Mother", I would say season 2, and guess what, she starred in it. I was freaking out so badly.

And I love the plot as well. I also adore the variety of characters portrayed in the movie, like the character of Hoi. Nguyen Huong Hoi. He (or she) has done a spectacular job though in real life he's not actually gay. Every time he appeared in the screen he cracked me up. I was like "Hell no Im in love with this guy". But yes so far so good, Im in love with every character of this movie. I love how they complement each other really well, and yet, none of them has been greatly overwhelming each other.

I just went to the premiere of this movie last night at the Saigon Performing Arts Center with the red carpet stars. I went in thinking that this would be some awful movie about love, maybe with a little bit of comedy.

I was completely wrong.

The movie was hilarious, I did not expect the writing to be this funny. I mean, given, this is a classic, "boy meets girl" movie, and the guy would do anything for the girl. But with that basic plot element set aside, it takes a different approach to the classic.

The technical aspects were a bit odd, rather than showing a 35mm film, they played the entire movie off of a mac and had some technical problems, but those were no big deal. Though some of the lip syncing was off, it was, from what I saw, hardly noticeable. Some of the cuts from the band to the end of the show were really rough, and easily noticeable. Seeming to look like they rushed the cut.

Though this movie *is* in Vietnamese, it has English subtitles. Though some of the language is a little bit off, (such as saying "kinda" and the typo of 3years rather than 3 years) even reading the subtitles gives you clear passage to the humor. Though many people would think that the humor would be "lost in translation," for the most part, this doesn't really happen.

Aside from the technical aspects, I recommend that you see this movie if you're looking for a great foreign film with lots of comedy.

Be sure to check this movie when it comes out on September 10th!