Ren zai jiong tu: Tai jiong

"Ren Zai Jiong Tu: Tai Jiong" (aka "Lost in Thailand") from writers Ding Ding, Huan Shu and Zheng Xu turned out to be a rather enjoyable comedy.

When I sat down to watch this 2012 Chinese comedy here in 2022, I had never heard about it. But of course I opted to give it a chance, given it being an Asian movie that I hadn't already seen. And I am glad that I did, because I was genuinely entertained by this movie from director Zheng Xu.

The storyline is funny and nicely paced, with lots of funny moments and well-rounded characters. The plot is straight forward, and definitely takes the audience along on a good, wholesome joyride.

The movie also had a good cast ensemble, despite it being a relatively small ensemble. The movie had Zheng Xu, Baoqiang Wang and Bo Huang in the leading roles, so you are in good company. And these actors carried the movie quite well.

"Ren Zai Jiong Tu: Tai Jiong" is a good, straight up comedy, and it is well worth the time of watching it.

My rating of "Ren Zai Jiong Tu: Tai Jiong" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Fun filled travel based comedy from China. This road movie was similar to 'Due Date' and 'Planes, Trains & Automobile'. Like those two titles, our protagonist from this movie must team up with a crazy man to accomplish the unexpected hurdles in his trip. Actually, in another perspective, it was like 'Rat Race' and 'Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' where characters from the movie must reach their destination before one another. So they are ready to take any kinda risk to achieve their goal. Those wild journeys are what we are going to enjoy in this movie. Excellent pace and non stop engaging plot keeps you alive throughout.

Two scientists invented a formula to increase the volume of any kinda liquid. So these Chinese scientists begin the quest to find their biggest shareholder who is in Thailand. But they got different agenda, one to get a funding contract to study further and another to sell it to a French company. In the race they encounter each other's trap which drag them a simple expedition to long lasting.

This has been the highest gross movie ever in China and breaking all the previous records, including James Cameron's 'Avatar'. I have seen many similar movies from Hollywood and Europe, but not that many from Asia so I found it a nice one. The lead actor himself directed it for the first time and did a wonderful job. The movie had captured lots of beautiful places from interior Thailand. If entertainment is your top priority then it will fulfill your wish. If you are expecting good story, still it will convince but depends on the way you take it. Chinese and Hong Kong movies are famous for presenting martial art in it. That is how many from west know about movies from these places so if you wanna try other than that it will do a justice.

I wouldn't give this movie any awards, but it was zany and fun and a great stress-reliever. The shenanigans of the protagonists were nonsensical and bizarre, something that reminds me very much of several American films. These include "Step Brothers," "Black Sheep," and "Due Date," among many others. What these movies all have in common is ridiculous antics mixed with a little bit of heart.

As goofy as it was, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Any movie that can put a genuine smile on my face and make me laugh is a pretty good movie.

As a side note, I attempted to watch this movie without looking at the English subtitles. From my limited knowledge of Chinese, I was able to keep up with the plot to an extent. In fact, I think it made the movie that much more enjoyable. However, I definitely missed some aspects of the movie simply from a lack of understanding key words and phrases. For this reason, "Lost in Thailand," reminded me of watching movies as a kid. While I didn't understand exactly what was going on at every moment because of the language barrier, I was still able to appreciate certain aspects of the plot.

Seeing as this is the number 1 Chinese film currently, I had high hopes for what this movie could bring. I also heard it was a comedic film, but most of the time, the thought that often crossed my mind was, "Why am I still here watching this?" The two main characters, Xu Lang and Baobao, have an interesting relationship, but every time they argue, it's something quite expected.

For me, there wasn't much to the storyline of the movie. It was one argument, then the easy making up, and continuation of Baobao's Thailand checklist. Baobao is not a very intelligent character, yet he's kind and helpful. He's frustrating because he constantly messes up Xu Lang's plans, but he's very apologetic.

Also, the resolution of the movie, although happy, was cliché and somewhat boring.

In conclusion, take heed when you watch this movie. I suggest not going to the theaters to watch this, but if you really want to, wait till it comes out for rental.

Expected to see protagonists in funny situations based on cultural differences and Thailand-specific activities/places. So, like any other "X goes to Y" movie. Heavily disappointed. Not nearly enough Thailand, too much Chinese over-acting. It seems that the script was written by a kid that heard a thing or two about Thailand. Weak in every aspect.