Johnnie To dusts off his directorial skills in the quirky 2011 rom-com…
Johnnie To’s filmmaking was in a rut around the late 2000-decade, with his Vengeance (2009) and Sparrow (2008) being long in production and loosely accepted by audiences; however his return to the screen in 2011 with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart gives audiences a distinct impression that the acclaimed director finally re-found his passion.
To’s co Hong Kong-Chinese rom-com follows CEO Louis Koo as he relentlessly stalks and harasses a city girl, tries to marry her without any setup in the relationship, and even steals her away from a homeless alcoholic who clears up his life for the small spark she brings (or rather, brought) him. Chi Yan (Gao Yuanyuan) is the object of Sean (Louis Koo) and Kevin’s (Daniel Wu) affections, both men with big city jobs competing for the girl they propose to be full of energy and life. Koo is the CEO of a competing firm, who even goes to such extensive lengths as buying Chi Yan’s company in order to get closer to her, whilst Daniel Wu keeps all of the possessions and an ‘ugly’ frog that she gave him 3 years previously in the first act of the film.
Set around the slightly recent Hong Kong economic crash; To crafts a simple tale of love, ambition, separation and questioning in this quirky and upbeat tale. The narrative is well paced and thoughtfully scripted, with many niche moments paying off later in the film, whilst on-point humour helps to further character development and ensures every scripted line doesn’t go to waste. Don’t go confusing this with other classic comedies such as Sex and Zen, as amongst the Milkyway Pictures pantheon it stands out as only a middlingly above-par film, however there is enough heart and spirit in Don’t Go Breaking My Heart to help great 100+ minutes of excitement and laughter, where you’ll be on edge wondering if Chi Yan will choose the ‘3rd kind’ picturesque gentleman or the seductive and charismatic go-getter.
The love triangle of characters frequently flirt through office windows and vast distances between buildings, with lots of playful interaction spurring from mistaken communication between floors and tasteful office hijinks such as artily arranged post-it notes or playing with wheeled chairs. Lam Suet drops in occasionally as a co-worker in Chi Yan’s office, providing goofy humour and some much needed spacing amongst jokes to set the tone, however nothing ever feels forced (asides how Louis Koo will never let go).
Chi Yan continues to flirt with the hearts of the competing CEO and Architect throughout, however the real breakout star of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is Froggie (Froggie). A notably large and ‘ugly’ frog gifted to Daniel Wu in the opening act when he is a recovering alcoholic, Froggie is the comedic relief in otherwise dull scenes that will make you laugh out loud, and his eventual narrative trail leaves a wake of amazement (being the icon of a company) and distraught. There are times where the audience will be left frustrated at the characters as they play off the feelings of one another, however Don’t Go Breaking My Heart was never going to be realistic in it’s portrayal of love, instead going for the idealized soap opera ‘Eastenders’ style of storytelling. It’s casual for a whole office building of unfinished floors to be lit up for a marriage proposal in the space of minutes, right?
The highest stakes of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart are the affections of Louis Koo and Daniel Wu, indeed To subverts his regular genre conventions by placing the female protagonist in the lead role with their hearts in her hand. In a refreshing change, we are treated to an empowered female figure who has control over the men and love in her life, though she could perhaps do with a dash of foresight, self awareness and decision making. The film was never going to be anything but a romantic comedy, as your heart strings are repetitively plucked throughout to tease who the final lover will be that ends up with Chi Yan, however you get the impression that she cares less for their love and more for how they can try and impress her with each man frequently trying to up the game and their contributions towards grasping her affections. Ultimately we are taught by Chi Yan that its not how you play the game, but the decisions you make that matter the most. Milkyway Pictures certainly scored on this mainland-pleasing coproduction, the final result of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is one of those cinematic classics that will please all audiences and provides a tasteful ending to an otherwise unpredictable film.
