Shanghai Kiss
Encyclopedia
Shanghai Kiss is a 2007 direct-to-DVD romantic drama
comedy
. The film was released on DVD on October 9, 2007.
Hayden Panettiere
won the Feature Film Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival
for her role as Adelaide.
), a Chinese actor dwelling in Los Angeles
unwittingly gets involved with a high school
girl. He suddenly has to go to China
after learning from his father that he has inherited his grand-mother's home in Shanghai
. He's not very appreciative of his Sinicity and at first only wants to sell the house and get back to the U.S. as fast as possible. He gets a taste of Chinese customs after meeting a girl there and ends up having some big decisions to make.
), a young, beautiful, high school student. During the ride home, Liam discovers that Adelaide has been sketching a picture of him. The two begin to converse and Adelaide sings Liam a song, whereupon they become quick friends. Liam feels guilt for becoming friends with such a young girl and Adelaide later asks Liam to go to the prom with her. He declines, and this serves as the basis for the many times that Liam feels guilty in having a budding friendship with such a young girl. His friend, Joe Silverman (Joel Moore
) is one of the most vocal opponents of the "friendship", as Joe expresses his belief that no good can come out of what is developing between him and Adelaide.
During a scene early in the movie, Liam expresses his frustration in the stereotyping of East Asian men in Hollywood, since he himself is a struggling actor. Joe reminds Liam that it was Liam's decision to drop out of Columbia University
to pursue a career in acting. In the "bar scene," as it is known, Joe challenges Liam to ask a Caucasian woman at the bar out. Liam rails against Joe and the woman at the bar, Georgia (Kathleen Lancaster), because she supposedly represents the superficiality and status-seeking of Hollywood and of Caucasian women in the U.S. in general. Still, Liam is attracted to Georgia and has been in several W.G.W.A.G. (White Girls With Asian Guys) relationships before in Hollywood. Nonetheless, Liam takes Joe up on this bar bet and sits down next to Georgia. In a small period of time, he is able to charm Georgia, saying that her name represents Liam's "favorite Confederate state." The two sleep together, but Liam weeps after his father calls him while the two are having sex, ostensibly because Liam, while able to have sex with the woman he chose, feels pangs of emptiness from not being connected to his folk, and instead, being lured into the image of success represented by women such as Georgia.
After having sex with Georgia, Liam picks Adelaide up to take her to school. Liam is obviously conflicted as he connects with Adelaide on an intellectual level, but can not get past the difference in their age. Liam then gets a call from his father in New York, informing him that Liam's grand-mother has died and has left Liam a small house in Shanghai. Liam travels to Shanghai, promising to call Adelaide daily while he is there. Upon arrival, he is greeted by his cousin who speaks English and who has found an older couple to buy Liam's house for him. After spending a night out on the town with his cousin and a call girl named Amy (who he did not have sex with), as well as an awkward late night call from Adelaide at his hotel, Liam goes to meet the buyers of his house. After seeing the view of Shanghai from the house, and being told that the house would sell for five hundred thousand yuan and not five hundred thousand U.S. dollars, Liam chooses not to sell the house. While at a bar, he meets Micki Yang (Kelly Hu
). Micki is initially resistant to the charms of Liam, but the two slowly tour Shanghai doing things Liam has never done. Micki is still somewhat skeptical about Liam, since Liam is, in a sense, foreign in his home country and has never visited and knows little about his home-land. After spending the night together, Liam decides to move into his grand-mother's house in Shanghai.
Liam returns to L.A. and tells his friends of his plan. After a tearful goodbye with Adelaide, he returns to Shanghai and tries to live as a Chinese person. Unfortunately, Liam is picked up by Micki's gangster boy-friend, of whom Liam was not aware, after he finds out about Liam and Micki's relationship. Pointing out Liam's up-bringing in the U.S., Micki's boy-friend dumps Liam from a limosine in the pouring rain in downtown Shanghai. Liam is reminded of his semiforeign status as he wanders the streets unable to communicate with the people or find his way home. Liam later asks Micki about her boyfriend, and she responds that she is only with him because her family is destitute - her mother raised her and her numerous young siblings alone, and it would greatly aid her family to have access to such money. She also mentioned that Liam can not possibly understand the options one has when one is living a life of abject poverty.
After Micki tells Liam to go back to Los Angeles, he again almost sells the house to the elderly couple, but has another change of heart and decides to leave the house to Micki, who will be able to use the house to abide in with her family and thus will not be forced to remain with her boyfriend because of financial issues. He returns to the U.S. to reconcile with Adelaide, but she rebukes him as she is leaving for France to attend art school. With a mixed-message good-bye, she goes to France and Liam reconciles with his father, getting a job at Starbuck's and successfully auditioning for an advertisement for a genital herpes treatment. Adelaide later returns to the U.S. and Liam is prepared to meet her upon her arrival to the air-port from France. However, as he prepares to walk up to give her some flowers, he sees Adelaide kissing a Caucasian man as they part. Liam walks out of the air-port and disposes of the flowers in frustration of himself. As he prepares to leave, however, Adelaide accosts him. When he asks about the man in the airport, she informs Liam that the man was her instructor and that "he's as gay as a pineapple." They agree to restart their relationship on a more solid footing (if for no other reason because she is now of legal age), and he explains that he's "daffy about her." She tells him "anything is possible, that's the beauty of living". The movie ends with the two hugging outside the airport with the song "Home" being sung in the background by Hayden Panettiere.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
. The film was released on DVD on October 9, 2007.
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
won the Feature Film Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....
for her role as Adelaide.
Synopsis
Liam Liu (Ken LeungKen Leung
Kenneth "Ken" Leung is an American actor best known for his role as Miles Straume in the ABC television series Lost and roles in such films as Shanghai Kiss, Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Saw.-Early life:...
), a Chinese actor dwelling in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
unwittingly gets involved with a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
girl. He suddenly has to go to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
after learning from his father that he has inherited his grand-mother's home in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. He's not very appreciative of his Sinicity and at first only wants to sell the house and get back to the U.S. as fast as possible. He gets a taste of Chinese customs after meeting a girl there and ends up having some big decisions to make.
Plot
The plot starts out with Liam auditioning for a role in a tooth-paste advertisement. He is rejected after some initial questions by the screeners because he is not considered " [East] Asian" enough. This begins our glimpse into the casting decision of Hollywood producers, who Liam believes heavily stereotype East Asian men to the point where it is difficult for them to land normal roles. Liam then takes a city bus home from the audition since his car is towed away, and there, he meets Adelaide Bourbon (Hayden PanettiereHayden Panettiere
Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
), a young, beautiful, high school student. During the ride home, Liam discovers that Adelaide has been sketching a picture of him. The two begin to converse and Adelaide sings Liam a song, whereupon they become quick friends. Liam feels guilt for becoming friends with such a young girl and Adelaide later asks Liam to go to the prom with her. He declines, and this serves as the basis for the many times that Liam feels guilty in having a budding friendship with such a young girl. His friend, Joe Silverman (Joel Moore
Joel Moore
Joel David Moore is an American actor who has appeared in television commercials, feature films, and television series. He is best known for his roles as Owen Dittman in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Dr. Norm Spellman in Avatar, Colin Fisher in Bones and J.P...
) is one of the most vocal opponents of the "friendship", as Joe expresses his belief that no good can come out of what is developing between him and Adelaide.
During a scene early in the movie, Liam expresses his frustration in the stereotyping of East Asian men in Hollywood, since he himself is a struggling actor. Joe reminds Liam that it was Liam's decision to drop out of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
to pursue a career in acting. In the "bar scene," as it is known, Joe challenges Liam to ask a Caucasian woman at the bar out. Liam rails against Joe and the woman at the bar, Georgia (Kathleen Lancaster), because she supposedly represents the superficiality and status-seeking of Hollywood and of Caucasian women in the U.S. in general. Still, Liam is attracted to Georgia and has been in several W.G.W.A.G. (White Girls With Asian Guys) relationships before in Hollywood. Nonetheless, Liam takes Joe up on this bar bet and sits down next to Georgia. In a small period of time, he is able to charm Georgia, saying that her name represents Liam's "favorite Confederate state." The two sleep together, but Liam weeps after his father calls him while the two are having sex, ostensibly because Liam, while able to have sex with the woman he chose, feels pangs of emptiness from not being connected to his folk, and instead, being lured into the image of success represented by women such as Georgia.
After having sex with Georgia, Liam picks Adelaide up to take her to school. Liam is obviously conflicted as he connects with Adelaide on an intellectual level, but can not get past the difference in their age. Liam then gets a call from his father in New York, informing him that Liam's grand-mother has died and has left Liam a small house in Shanghai. Liam travels to Shanghai, promising to call Adelaide daily while he is there. Upon arrival, he is greeted by his cousin who speaks English and who has found an older couple to buy Liam's house for him. After spending a night out on the town with his cousin and a call girl named Amy (who he did not have sex with), as well as an awkward late night call from Adelaide at his hotel, Liam goes to meet the buyers of his house. After seeing the view of Shanghai from the house, and being told that the house would sell for five hundred thousand yuan and not five hundred thousand U.S. dollars, Liam chooses not to sell the house. While at a bar, he meets Micki Yang (Kelly Hu
Kelly Hu
Kelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...
). Micki is initially resistant to the charms of Liam, but the two slowly tour Shanghai doing things Liam has never done. Micki is still somewhat skeptical about Liam, since Liam is, in a sense, foreign in his home country and has never visited and knows little about his home-land. After spending the night together, Liam decides to move into his grand-mother's house in Shanghai.
Liam returns to L.A. and tells his friends of his plan. After a tearful goodbye with Adelaide, he returns to Shanghai and tries to live as a Chinese person. Unfortunately, Liam is picked up by Micki's gangster boy-friend, of whom Liam was not aware, after he finds out about Liam and Micki's relationship. Pointing out Liam's up-bringing in the U.S., Micki's boy-friend dumps Liam from a limosine in the pouring rain in downtown Shanghai. Liam is reminded of his semiforeign status as he wanders the streets unable to communicate with the people or find his way home. Liam later asks Micki about her boyfriend, and she responds that she is only with him because her family is destitute - her mother raised her and her numerous young siblings alone, and it would greatly aid her family to have access to such money. She also mentioned that Liam can not possibly understand the options one has when one is living a life of abject poverty.
After Micki tells Liam to go back to Los Angeles, he again almost sells the house to the elderly couple, but has another change of heart and decides to leave the house to Micki, who will be able to use the house to abide in with her family and thus will not be forced to remain with her boyfriend because of financial issues. He returns to the U.S. to reconcile with Adelaide, but she rebukes him as she is leaving for France to attend art school. With a mixed-message good-bye, she goes to France and Liam reconciles with his father, getting a job at Starbuck's and successfully auditioning for an advertisement for a genital herpes treatment. Adelaide later returns to the U.S. and Liam is prepared to meet her upon her arrival to the air-port from France. However, as he prepares to walk up to give her some flowers, he sees Adelaide kissing a Caucasian man as they part. Liam walks out of the air-port and disposes of the flowers in frustration of himself. As he prepares to leave, however, Adelaide accosts him. When he asks about the man in the airport, she informs Liam that the man was her instructor and that "he's as gay as a pineapple." They agree to restart their relationship on a more solid footing (if for no other reason because she is now of legal age), and he explains that he's "daffy about her." She tells him "anything is possible, that's the beauty of living". The movie ends with the two hugging outside the airport with the song "Home" being sung in the background by Hayden Panettiere.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ken Leung Ken Leung Kenneth "Ken" Leung is an American actor best known for his role as Miles Straume in the ABC television series Lost and roles in such films as Shanghai Kiss, Rush Hour, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Saw.-Early life:... |
Liam Liu |
| Hayden Panettiere Hayden Panettiere Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in... |
Adelaide Bourbon |
| Kelly Hu Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during... |
Micki Yang |
| Joel Moore Joel Moore Joel David Moore is an American actor who has appeared in television commercials, feature films, and television series. He is best known for his roles as Owen Dittman in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Dr. Norm Spellman in Avatar, Colin Fisher in Bones and J.P... |
Joe Silverman |
| Oliver Yan | Ling Ming |
| James Hong James Hong James Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His... |
Mark Liu |
| Spencer Redford Spencer Redford Spencer Redford is an American actress best known for her role as Loretta Modern in the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect.-Early life and career:... |
Jessica |
| Summer Altice Summer Altice Summer Danielle Altice is an American fashion model and actress. She was named after Miss USA 1975, Summer Bartholomew.Altice was born in Fountain Valley, California... |
Virginia |
| Kathy Lancaster | Georgia |
| Byron Mann Byron Mann Byron Mann is an actor who has made films in both Hollywood and Asia. He is perhaps best known for his performance as Ryu in Street Fighter.-Biography:... |
Jai Lee |