IF YOU ARE THE ONE 3 (非诚勿扰3) (2024)

Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Feng Xiaogang
Cast: Ge You, Shu Qi, Fan Wei, Li Chengru, Yue Yunpeng, Chang Yuan
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 25 January 2024

Synopsis: Xiaoxiao left home for ten years to work in charity after she got engaged to Qin. Fan, Qin's friend, knowing how much Qin misses Xiaoxiao, designs an android that looks exactly like the same as Xiaoxiao to keep Qin accompanied. When Qin starts to get used to the AI version of Xiaoxiao, the real Xiaoxiao returns, creating a strange situation. Qin finds himself between two 'Xiaoxiao', trying not to upset either one.

Movie Review:

Feng Xiaogang is a very successful commercial filmmaker from Mainland China, and his works are known to make killing at the box office. Some of his best known titles include A World Without Thieves (2004), The Banquet (2006) and Assembly (2007). These movies with high budgets feature big names and striking production values.

Then in 2008, Feng made a romantic comedy which will become one of his top grossing works to date, earning a smashing 364 million renminbi at the box office. After a 2010 sequel, Feng is back with a third instalment, marking a close to the series. Who would have known that romantic comedy about an unlikely couple (the man is a lonely but wealthy investor, and the lady is a flight attendant half his age) would be so popular with the masses?

It sure helps that the film series headlines superstars Ge You and Shu Qi, who are back in this movie as Qin Fen and Liang Xiaoxiao, so fans would flock to the theatres to see how the couple is doing. We see Qin Fen living in a futuristic world, and realise that the year is 2031. Through flashback sequences, we learn that Xiaoxiao was inspired by environmentalists while having a stroll by the beach with Qin Fen one day, and suddenly decided to travel around the world to do her part for Mother Earth. For almost a decade, Qin Fen has been living alone and patiently waiting for Xiaoxiao’s return.

And since the story takes place in the future, technology is inevitably (and conveniently) part of the plot. Qin Fen is given an android by his friend (played wonderfully by veteran actor Fan Wei, who also appeared in the 2008 movie). The android looks and speaks like Xiaoxiao, and along the way, Qin Fen requests for an upgrade of the android so that it behaves like the woman he misses so much. Everything seems to go well and the man seems to be contented with this arrangement in his life. And of course, the real Xiaoxiao returns home at this point (complete with a sunburn and world weary look), and Qin Fen has to deal with two Xiaoxiaos in his life.

The movie does have an interesting premise which isn’t exactly new. There are other films that explore whether technology can replace a companion in your life (Steven Spielberg’s 2001 movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence comes to mind), and this Chinese production may not be the best one you’ve seen. There are some unnecessary side plots (like how a gay man who has the hots for Qin Fen made an android that resembles him), and not all jokes work well, especially for the younger audiences who prefer sharper humour. But Feng makes it a point to feature recurring characters, and one nice sequence sees an old friend (Yao Chen) paying a surprise visit to Qin Fen, and the two talk about old days.

Ge and Shu are comfortable in their roles which they have held dear for the last 15 years. The chemistry is on point, and the last scene is especially feel good with the two actors talking about what Qin Fen and Xiaoxiao mean to them. It’s a sweet closure to the series.

Movie Rating:

(Seeing Ge You and Shu Qi reunite as Qin Fen and Liang Xiaoxiao will be a sweet treat for fans of the popular romantic comedy series)

Review by John Li