If you are the one

Feng Xiaogang takes a break from movies featuring war, martial arts or Andy Lau for If You Are The One, a commercial romance that hearkens back to Feng's days as China's number one purveyor of popular comedies. Starring Feng's usual leading man Ge You, If You Are The One was inspired by the 1998 Taiwanese film The Personals (that film's writer-director, Chen Kuo-Fu, serves as producer and co-writer of If You Are The One) and proves entertaining and unusually smart for a commercial film aimed at the masses. A laggy third act and an anticlimactic ending bring things down a notch, and the film isn't as forthcoming as it could be, with more said than is actually shown. However, Feng Xiaogang's instincts are sharp; the film possesses an appreciable dry wit, and the fine performances and dynamite location photography shore things up considerably. Ultimately, If You Are The One is much better than its genre normally delivers. The glass is half-full over here. Having made an instant fortune through his sale of the Conflict Resolution Terminal 2008 (a device previously used for laughs in Pang Ho-Cheung's AV), middle-aged entrepreneur Qin Fen (Ge You) turns his attention to finding a wife. Using an online personals service, he auditions potential spouses, but few make a lasting impression. Qin Fen's stalwart personality is partly to blame; he's intent on finding a suitable match, and is willing to walk away from even an absolute goddess if there's a hint of incompatibility. So it goes with comely flight attendant Smiley Liang (Shu Qi), who Qin Fen initially recognizes as a poor match. Regardless, the two commiserate over drinks, where the melancholy Smiley reveals that she's dating a married man (Alex Fong). The two part intending never to meet again, with each returning to their own pursuit of love. But as fate and the screenwriters would have it, Qin Fen and Smiley meet again on an airline flight, with Smiley working, Qin Fen traveling, and Smiley's boyfriend and wife also present. The coincidence draws Qin Fen and Smiley back together, propelling them on the road to friendship and perhaps more, with occasional stops at fine luxury entertainment locations, where they sip expensive drinks while verbally sparring over their views on love...