SYNOPSIS:
Bo (Stephy Tang) discovers that Qing's (Linda Chung) husband,
Rong (Sammy), is having an affair, but promises Rong to keep
it a secret. One day, she meets her ex-boyfriend Ryan (Alex
Fong) and discovers that the incidents that happened 3 years
ago were misunderstandings and Ryan's feelings for Bo have
never changed. Meanwhile, Qing mistook Bo for the third party
in her marriage and Bo has no choice but to tell her the truth.
Together, they come up with a plan to expose Rong.....
MOVIE REVIEW
I
dare to say most moviegoers outside HK territory might find
this title unfamiliar. However, this is not to conclude that
this straight-to-video title is a dud.
“Love
is not around” is written and directed by Patrick Kong
who has penned several quirky comedies such as “Men
Suddenly In Black” and “Dragon Loaded”.
His third directorial feature is a rousing effort which touches
on an universal theme called “love”.
Stephy
Tang plays Bo, a pretty woman who switches boyfriends often
and has admirers all over, from Doctor Joe (played by Mainland
singer Hins Cheung) to her ex-boyfriend Ryan (ex-national
swimmer turns singer/actor Alex Fong) and to add on to more
relationship problems, she found out her best friend’s
husband is having an affair with another of her friend. If
the above confuses you, fret not as the plot simply revolves
around Bo’s love life and friendship.
If Patrick
Kong is trying to use Bo’s character as a reflection
of the love lives of today’s women living in a metropolitan
world, then I should say most ladies would identified with
Bo somehow. A longing penchant for an ex-boyfriend? Check.
A friend’s hubby is having an affair? Check. A secret
admirer might be out there? Check. Familiar yet real stories
that are happening around us.
With the
exception of some embarrassing, awkward scenes that are meant
to be funny (the scene where Bo’s eyes are singed by
washing liquid) and a slew of mushy cheesy dialogues, “Love
is not around” is surprisingly a watchable romance drama.
Boasting
no A-list stars or eye-popping production values and somewhat
cliché at times, what Kong has to offer is a light-heartened
look at this four-letter word called “Love”.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Scorpio East release consists of the movie trailer
and some short interview features with the cast and crew.
Director Patrick Kong claims “Love is not around”
is a true story. Well, he might be true after all. In addition,
Royston Tan’s “881” teaser trailer is also
included.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Visual transfer is passable and kudos for the dual track,
this DVD comes equipped with the original Cantonese and Mandarin
dubbing.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
|