Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2160. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (单身男女) (2011)

    2160. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (单身男女) (2011)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on May 26, 2018 110-119 mins, 2011, 6 - 7.9, China, Comedy, Drama, Hong Kong, May 18, Movies Of 2018, Review, Romance
    7.9 Impressively engrossing
    • Acting 8.0
    • Directing 7.8
    • Story 7.9
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Gao Yuanyuan, Louis Koo, Daniel Wu

    Director: Johnnie To, Wai Ka-fai

    Running Time: 115 mins


    Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is a Chinese/Hong Kong film about a woman who finds herself caught in a desperate dilemma, as two men from her past return and vie for her affections.

    This film really surprised me. On the face of things, it’s a generic love triangle, with cheesy grand gestures as far as the eye can see. However, look a little bit deeper and you’ll find a film that’s actually quite original and far more intelligent than it appears at face level, taking a unique and intriguing perspective on the love triangle story, as well as crafting memorable and heartwarming moments as well as layered and engrossing characters, all of which come together to make a film that you’ll be fully engaged by, and at times even moved on an emotional level.

    There’s a lot to like about Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, but what impressed me most was the way in which the film tackles the age-old story of a love triangle. With a story that takes strong cues from Romeo & Juliet, you’d think that this would just be another retreading of the same premise, but it’s written in such a way that it’s a fully engrossing and actually unpredictable story that leaves you just as torn as our main character.

    In short, the story tells of a woman working as an office employee who simultaneously forms a bond with both the wealthy boss from the office in the building opposite her, as well as a poor, down-on-his-luck architect. Years later, after not having seen either for a long time, they both return into her life, vying for her affections, leaving her torn as to which person she should choose.

    You’ve heard that story before, but what works so well about this film is how the two men are characterised. While Gao Yuanyuan, who stars in the lead female role, is delightful herself, the real intrigue comes from the sharp contrasts between her two potential suitors. One a flamboyant but somewhat arrogant wealthy man, and the other a more humble person who has worked hard to get where he is today. You’d think that comparison would make her mindset a foregone conclusion, but the way in which circumstances change over the course of the film makes the dilemma she faces between the two men work really well.

    And that’s what really impressed me about this film. Normally, a love triangle like this has a bit of internal conflict for the female lead, but that’s about it, whereas this film manages to craft a strong dilemma that goes beyond our main character’s feelings, and instead creates a situation where I, as the viewer, felt genuinely torn, yet still passionate about the story, making for an incredibly enthralling watch that you don’t often get in romantic comedies of this sort.

    Another big plus from this film comes in the form of its humour. Although it’s not quite laugh-out-loud funny at any point, it balances its romantic drama with delightful and sweet humour throughout, with the high point being the wonderfully cheesy Romeo & Juliet-esque exchanges that take place between the characters seeing each other from office windows in different buildings. However, the film is still light-hearted and pleasant enough to make you smile as much as move you, which I really appreciated.

    The performances are also fantastic. As I said, Gao Yuanyuan is a truly delightful lead, and alongside her sweeter characteristics, she’s also strong-willed and energetic enough to prove an intriguing lead on her own. Alongside, both Louis Koo and Daniel Wu do great jobs at portraying the two love interests, with Koo doing a great job at playing up the extravagant playboy persona, and Wu doing just as well with his more down-to-earth and ideal suitor, with both of those performances playing in brilliantly in making that love triangle dilemma work so well.

    If there is one problem that I would have with this film, it would be the fact that it does feel a little too cheesy at times. I enjoyed the story to such a degree that I didn’t have a problem with any of the melodrama or the sweeter romantic moments, but there are still elements of the film that prove a little too shallow on the face of things, which could unfortunately put viewers off before giving them the chance to really get engrossed.

    Overall, I had a wonderful time with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. A really surprising romance that features great performances, humour and all, but most importantly a story with depth, intrigue, unpredictability, and a powerful dilemma that kept me thoroughly engrossed right up to the finish, which is why I’m giving it a 7.9.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    June 15, 20190

    2585. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

    9.7
    Review
    March 5, 20140

    477. Psycho (1960)

    8.6
    Review
    August 2, 20140

    643. The Shining (1980)

    8.0
    Review
    May 22, 20160

    1359. I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK (싸이보그지만 괜찮아) (2006)

    8.1
    Review
    July 17, 20160

    1420. Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.