If You Are the One II

Seemed Like Two Separate Films Connected By A Central Couple Who Never Quite Clicked Convincingly
I was quite excited to pick up "If You Are The One: Love And Marriage," the latest effort by Feng Xiaogang (one of China's most esteemed and commercially successful directors). Xiaogang is responsible for one of my favorite Chinese films of all time--the powerful and poignant "Aftershock." This is the follow-up to the 2008 romantic comedy "If You Are the One" and picks up where that one left off. To put the characters and their life situations into context, I would suggest that the sequel is better served by having seen the original film. But the story is still self-contained and it can be viewed as a stand-alone product. "Love and Marriage" is certainly a film that I wanted to love, and yet I'm really torn by my reaction to the film. The first half plays as a lightweight battle-of-the-sexes comedy, while the second half serves up a fair share of melancholy and tragedy. Either might have made a compelling film in its own right, but together--they sit rather uneasily. The thing that...





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