Happy Times (2001)
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72% of critics liked it
(60 reviews) -
76% of users liked it
(4,177 ratings)
A man stretching the truth for his own sake soon begins doing the same for someone else, with increasingly complicated results, in this gentle comedy from China. Zhao (Zhao Benshan) is a guy in his early fifties who's out of work but still wants to marry his girlfriend (Dong Lifan). However, his… More A man stretching the truth for his own sake soon begins doing the same for someone else, with increasingly complicated results, in this gentle comedy from China. Zhao (Zhao Benshan) is a guy in his early fifties who's out of work but still wants to marry his girlfriend (Dong Lifan). However, his often cranky sweetheart thinks he runs a hotel, and Zhao is trying to keep the illusion alive with the help of his pal Li (Li Xuejian) by turning an abandoned bus into a "love hotel" for couples who lack privacy in their homes. But business isn't all that good, since the old-fashioned Zhao asks unmarried couples to keep their doors open to ensure nothing untoward happens. As Zhao tries to convince his girlfriend to walk down the aisle with him -- and struggles to raise the money she demands first -- she introduces him to Wu Jing (Dong Jie), the blind teenage stepdaughter she inherited from her marriage to her now-deceased first husband. The woman insists that Zhao give Wu Jing a job in his hotel; since the bus/hotel has been towed away, this isn't a practical possibility. Zhao and Li put Wu Jing through a fake job interview to keep up appearances, and when she breaks down in tears talking about her deadbeat father, he decides he has to do something for her. Zhao moves Wu Jing into his home, and with the help of his friends, sets up a phony massage therapy center where Wu Jing works with the "clients" -- actually Zhao's friends, most of whom are also unemployed. But the bigger and more complex the illusion becomes, the harder it is to maintain, though Zhao feels compelled to do so for the sake of the girl's feelings. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- PG, 1 hr. 35 min.
- Directed By
- Yimou Zhang
- Written By
- Gui Zi, Gai Zi
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Jul 26, 2002 Limited
- On DVD
- Dec 3, 2002
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Classics
Critic Reviews
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Susan Stark, Detroit News
A provocative, touching, surprising and obliquely illuminating piece.
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Janice Page, Boston Globe
Not a film to rival To Live, but a fine little amuse-bouche to keep your appetite whetted.
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Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
This humbling little film, fueled by the light comedic work of Zhao Benshan and the delicate ways of Dong Jie, is just the sort for those moviegoers who complain that 'they don't make movies like they used to anymore.'
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Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News
The performances are winning all around. And the comic, slice-of-life feel is charming, but takes a hike as the film progresses.
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Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
The film's maudlin focus on the young woman's infirmity and her naive dreams play like the worst kind of Hollywood heart-string plucking.
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Cast
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Zhao Benshanas Zhao -
Dong Jieas Wu Jing -
Li Xuejianas Li
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Dong Lifan -
Ben Niuas Oxhead -
Ling Qibin
