Don't Go Breaking My Heart

I'm a big fan of romance movies, especially mature ones. This is the first time I am watching a Hong Kong romance film and I have to say, I really enjoyed this. After watching both Western and Asian romance films, I have a preference towards Asian romance films because probably I can relate more to it or in a way, love portrayed is much more sincere, realistic and real. Western films have the tendency of too much sex without the substance.

This is a review based on a Hong-Kong romantic movie. I may have to warn you first, this review may contain spoilers, not suitable for reading if you're looking for recommendations.

Yen (Gao Yuanyuan) is an analyst in an investment bank whom is from Suzhou, China that came to Hong Kong 7 years ago with her boyfriend. However, the boyfriend left her and married another woman. Just when she thought she was really becoming lonely, she met two men. One, Sean(Louis Koo) who is of high ranking in an investment company who works in an office opposite the building she is working. He noticed her long time ago, when he was captivated by her beauty and was attracted to her high energy (positivity, hyperness). He put up paper signs to attract her attention and soon, they started communicating through showing paper signs. Sometimes, he amused her with some lame magic tricks. One day, he finally asked her out by using paper signs and he blew it by going out with another woman.

The woman Sean went out with instead

Yen, being mad at Sean

Yen also met Kevin,whom she mistaken as a beggar and gave him all her ex-boyfriend's stuff. Kevin was actually a very talented architect whom was in a phase of losing himself, so he walked around drinking and not grooming himself properly. They went out for a drink and he told her about his story and she told him hers. He encouraged her to cut her hair (her ex-boyfriend loved her long hair, so just cut the hair for a change) and wear brighter outfits to the office(usually dark colors are encouraged in banks).

Yen, when she was about to wave goodbye to Kevin after a day's out

Yen, gave a frog to Kevin

They somehow lost contact. Yen also had stopped contacting Sean after he blew her off.

Three years later, Sean became Yen's boss and soon tried to woo her again but unfortunately, he found not womanizing a very difficult task. In a scene, Yen mentioned "I love this man very much but it is very difficult to love this person." She also met Kevin, the talented architect whom has finally done some shaving, and indeed, he looked dashing. Three years ago, when Yen met Kevin, she gave him a frog and Kevin used the frog as his motivation to build his career again. Kevin could not forget Yen, the woman who encouraged, motivated and inspired him to start all over again. And thus, Yen was stuck in a love triangle.

If you watched the whole movie, you can see that the person that Yen truly loves is Sean, the womanizer. But in the end, she chose Kevin. Why?

This is only my justification. You can agree with me if you think you have watched the movie and you think it makes sense or do provide some input on your opinion, it would open my eyes and mind to a different point of view.

Sean is a womanizer. Have you ever had this relationship? The love-hate relationship? One moment you're so in love, the next moment you find yourself arguing amongst yourselves. The arguments happen due to the conflicts; "I love you, I know somehow you're not right for me, or I'm afraid that you would hurt me in the future but I want to make things work."The conflict I am referring to is the conflict of desire. Sean knew that Yen was the girl of his dreams, but he couldn't stop being charming to other women, it's just simply HIM. Yen loves him but she knew he was not right for her.

I once said that, "The more you hurt the person, the more the person loves you and couldn't get you off his/her mind."

That is why even when she was with Kevin, whom built a building inspired by her, she still thinks of Sean. She calls Sean a cheater, a player but the moment she watched the sunrise with Kevin, she actually had fell in love with him. She was confused and felt she was no different than Sean.

Sean approached Kevin and had a fight with him, thinking Kevin has slept with Yen(which they did not, they only watched the sunrise). In the fight, the frog that Yen gave to Kevin was smashed to death. The frog which motivated Kevin to start all over again. Sean left Kevin apologetically. Kevin kneeled down, looking at the dead frog, felt as if his source of motivation and happiness was crushed. Yen got to know about it, called Kevin, cried and said how sorry she was regarding the death of the frog.

Kevin came to Yen. While they were in tears, they hugged and shared a kiss.

Sean has lost to Kevin in this round because he fought with him and caused the death of the frog. Women don't like men who fight. It just showed how immature they can be. An immature person is not suitable to get married to. I believed that apart from the feelings she had for Kevin, she kissed him also out of sympathy. (Typical woman nature, tend to sympathize with others)

Sean tried to win her back by asking the waiter to pass her a menu which contain a wedding ring. He also called her and asked her to look outside the hotel (she was having dinner in the hotel with her parents, Sean, and Sean's parents) where he painted "Marry Me, <3 on some white cloth. She was surprised, she loved him but she just didn't know how much he loved her.

Kevin whom immediately noticed there were something wrong, countered back. He told Yen that she has to choose somehow, this chasing game cannot go on forever. He got down on one knee and proposed to her. She looked outside, on the building he built for her, there were lights blinking "Marry Me." The one that Sean painted seem pathetic in comparison to Kevin's building of lights.

She picked Kevin in the end. No, it's not because of the fancy lights. As referred to the title of the movie, "Don't go breaking my heart," she picked someone who would very least likely break her heart. The way a woman makes decision is rather different from men, a woman thinks a lot, about the future etc. The man relied a lot on feelings to decide a woman is the one or not. Although there are evidence she loved Sean more, she picked Kevin, someone who is truly sincere and can be relied on. She picked the "good" one.

In the movie, I found Kevin to be very attractive. He didn't used much of sweet words, more of the action kind, which is really cute. Although yes, Sean was charming and good-looking but such man will only appear as a phase to girls/women (the heart-breaking phase; everyone goes through that). Daniel Wu, the actor who played Kevin, I found his character which did not show too much expression; -attractive and non-pretentious.

So, in conclusion, men; if you want to win a lady's heart, continue being the "good" guy. No bad words, bad habits, no pushing the woman to make decision and continue going lengths for her.

For woman, just be yourself, someone is going to find you, chase you and love you the way you are. There is no need to try too hard to win a man's heart. A man's mind works rather differently, he rather do the chase and be challenged than to have things come too easy. If he found himself going crazy lengths for you, he can be certain that you might be the one.

I find this movie very meaningful. Would put it second after "500 days of Summer." I love to write a review on that movie, but someday, perhaps, someday. :)