I DO: Terrific Lead Trio of Actors Make the Film Singular

Derek ELLEY  is Chief Film Critic of Film Bussiness Asia. Elley has been writing about East Asian cinema for almost 40 years,especially Chinese-language films,and has arranged numerous seasons and tributes both in the UK, at London\'s National Film Theatre,and elsewhere, at Washington\'s American Film Institute. In 1998 he co-founded the Far East Film Festival, in Udine, Italy, devoted to mainstream Asian cinema.


Director Sun Zhou and a terrific lead trio of actors keep the China rom-com bar high with I DO, which manages to come up with a fresh twist on male-female relationships in aspirational, urban-yuppie New China. Compared with recent Mainland hits, I DO lacks the globe-trotting, high-finance flash and dazzle of DEAR ENEMY, and the goofy charm of office rom-com LOVE IS NOT BLIND; but it has its own singular character that more than compensates for its absence of the usual plot mechanisms. Both ENEMY and LOVE benefited from great screen chemistry between their leads, but I DO, with almost no regular "plot", entirely depends on it — to the extent that, with a different cast, it could have ended up as just a routine movie about a 30-plus career woman courted by two dodgy men.

The film is adapted from a 2009 novel YES, I DO by Beijing-based writer/scriptwriter Chen Tong, whose practical advice on marriage and relationships has earned her the nickname "a female Zhuge Liang". That extra depth to Chen\'s writing carries over into the screenplay, which takes the cliche of a thirtysomething careerist deciding to look for a husband and manages to treat it in a way that\'s not reliant on rom-com plot twists. Hot topics like "How much is love worth?" or "Do women want just a bank account on legs or a man who\'s reliable?" that fuel Mainland game shows and dating programmes get a good workout in the dialogue without becoming preachy or disturbing the entertainment.

Sun, whose long, spread-out career has ranged from the subtle HEARTSTRINGS through the flashy ZHOU YU\'S TRAIN (2002) to the intriguing cat-and-mouse spy thriller QIU XI (2009), has always brought a strong emotional quotient to his works, and here he gets the balance just right, giving his actors plenty of space but not too much. Li Bingbing, one of the most versatile Mainland actress of her generation, is especially good, partly because she treats the central role as a real acting opportunity rather than just an excuse to coast in a rom-com. Li\'s chemistry with top-billed Sun Honglei, here at his smiley, laid-back best as her wily pursuer, is tangible, though Sun also strengthens the lead triangle by equally good chemistry with Duan Yihong.
The main weakness of the movie is trying to include other characters\' relationship problems but only paying them lip-service. Despite that, performances by the supports are all well-etched — and, to be honest, when Li, Sun and Duan are sparking off each other, the audience doesn\'t need much more.