Suddenly Seventeen (2016)

This movie is typical romantic comedy. And yet at the same time it's not. I picked it up because of the leads whom I really love and I kinda liked the plot. I was expecting something fluffy, cute and already seen but honestly it was different. The core and essence of this movie is actually quite different than all the other romcoms I've seen.
Yes the main plot is about one couple who were together for so long that their relationship started to fall apart and at one moment the girl comes in possession of magical chocolate that brings her mind when she was 17 to 28 years old herself in the present time. And going like that back and forth she begins to realize her life, her mistakes, she starts to find her old self again and learns what was it that she lost along the way till this day. Whole movie is funny and very sweet, it brings many memories of our own past and it definitely makes you connect with the main girl. She is one beautiful woman who for the man she loves gave up her dreams, her own desires and her own self, she thought that acting that way will bring her marriage and happiness. And that's when Little Liang comes to the light, she awakes in Liang that young spirit, she brings her back her love for painting and drawing, she makes her feel alive and full of life again, to be more brave and relaxed, simply she makes her to learn to love herself and do what she really loves. And that was the strongest part of this movie, the main focus is only on her and her two personalities- young 17 years old Liang and unsatisfied lost 28 years old one. The way they start to interact with each other, in the beginning their bickering, misunderstandings, to the part where they finally accept and learn all the lessons becoming one. The guys were pretty good although I couldn't feel the chemistry with her boyfriend and I find that part of the movie weak- it simply wasn't explained how they feel in love with each other and till the end I think they weren't suited for each other. My heart has won the second lead or should I say the guy with whom Little Liang fell in love with. He was a typical rebel, riding a bike with living his life to the fullest but the one who awoke in her passion and love, they were totally great together. And when you add that Darren Wang was that second guy, well then it's logical that I rooted for him. ;)

The choice of the actors was also good, Ni Ni is one gorgeous goddess and she looks more beautiful by each day. She could really pass as a high school girl. Her acting was very believable and although she is older than Darren, their chemistry was so damn real and fantastic. Wallace as the lead guy was okay but in his typical wooden serious cool style and although in some other projects of his I liked him, here he definitely wasn't my choice nor the right choice for her. Despite that, it doesn't matter in the end because the main thing wasn't in men and relationships, it was in her, her mind and her heart.

" I'm proud of us"- this sentence simply engraved in my heart, the moment she said it, the way how two of them were portrayed and what they said to each other, it was very touching and realistic. As long as we have our own selves, as long as we think with our hearts and do the things we desire, as long as we don't lose ourselves along the way of growing up, we can make it, only then we can be truly happy, making our dreams come true and our lives into the life worth living for. This is the best message one movie can teach us. Despite that we may already know all that, still it means and makes us smile. It made me smile and I fully recommend it for watching.

Leggi di Più

Time traveling is not a new concept in dramaland. In fact many of today's favorite dramas and movies involve time travelling....... to the point that some of us (me!) gets so sick of it.

Only one sentence got me watching this movie... it's "she revisits her past and learns what it takes to love herself again".

Really .... for those people who are depressed, on a slump, on the point of their life where they do not know what they are doing or on the point where none of your plans and visions work... take time to watch this movie.

As I said, time travelling is not a new concept, but what makes this movie unique is that only the mind of the main character travels back on time, forcing her seventeen years old self to live the life of her current 28 years old. Looks satisfying isn't it? to live your life when you're done studying, have your own job, and you do not have to worry about all the drama in your teens. But what if the current you isn't living the life you wanted? What if none of your "future" plans made it to your present? What would you do? This movie ventures on how a person can learn to love herself back despite of all the disappointments she made out of herself.

On the romance part...I do not really like what happens to her love life so no... I won't venture that part.

The acting was good especially the lead character. She was on point and it will really show the difference within the two "personas" just with her eyes. The rest of the cast were also good but nothing special of some sort.

I didn't pay that much attention to music with the the fuss going on...so no it does not make that much impact on me.

Overall, it's a must see movie.... especially to those who fits the criteria I mention above. If you don't meet the criteria.... ah who cares? I already said it's a must watch movie. So go... watch it!

I don't know if this count as a review and if it will ever help anyone decide... but oh well..!

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Your typical time-travel romcom movie with a refreshing and new feel to it.

The plot was so so. A very typical “the main lead has lost herself and her way in life, but finds it again”-plot. With other words, it’s easy and nice to watch, time flies and you’re left with a good feeling inside when it ends.

Ni Ni’s acting skills was great and very believable. She’s really one of the things that makes the plot work for me.

The romance was a disappointment. Long story short, I don’t think that the main male lead or the second male lead was worth her. The main male leads feelings were very relatable, but his actions anything but okay. I can’t say more because then it would be spoilers. So let's just leave it at I didn’t like his personality at all. It all just felt off.

What made the movie sweet and a little bit different from other time-travel movies, was the relationship between the young and the old Liang Xia. I really liked to see Liang Xia find herself again, after being lost for such a long time.

I’m not a fan of the ending, but it’s okay. Some parts I really liked about the ending, so it didn’t ruin it for me.

With that said, it’s a nice, not so deep movie, that’s totally worth a watch if you need something uplifting and easy-going!

Leggi di Più

After some initial hesitation, I finally watched this movie today and honestly, I am glad I did. The story and the theme of 'time travel' and 'self love' is not unique yet the way this movie was executed and carried out is what makes it unique. Overall, the movie was neither too draggy nor too slow - it was just perfect. And the best part about this whole movie was that, it did not revolve around romance or unnecessary love-triangles. Instead, the movie explored the concept of pursuing one's dream & passion, not letting our happiness depend on someone else and rediscovering our lost selves.

Honestly, I don't have any major complains when it comes to the production, direction or even the casting. All the actors did a tremendously good job at the portrayal of their respective characters especially Ni Ni (female lead) and Darren Wang (second male lead). The only aspect I wasn't too fond of was the ending and the male leads personality (be it the first or the second) - I just felt that neither one of them were very likeable nor did they truly deserve her.

I would recommend this movie to everyone who are looking for something meaningful and lighthearted to watch. So throw away whatever hesitation and doubt you are having at the moment and give this movie a chance, I'm sure, you won't regret it.

Enjoy :D

Leggi di Più

Funny, Fluffy, Insightful and Touching at the same time

Lovely lovely movie. Recommended it to my friends and they loved it too. At first, it seems like another "Seventeen Again" type but it's a bit different because it's less gimmicky and it's really about the main character as a person and not a plot device, the two versions of herself (younger and older), the perceived rift between the two and how that came together.

The movie is fantasy but also very accurately captures feelings, and situations realistically and in a way that touches you: being in a dead-end relationship, giving up on your dreams, forgetting who you are and finding that again. Apart from this movie, I've never seen a drama character "find herself" in a way that didn't seem overly mawkish or make me roll my eyes cuz it was filled with cliches. And Suddenly Seventeen does all this while remaining genuinely funny. I also enjoyed watching the relationships she had with those two guys; funny and also insightful.

One thing I love and appreciate about this movie is that it doesn't disparage either youth (her younger self) or being older. It just portrays both things as they are and I empathised with both versions. I cried towards the end.

I'm not a movie buff so I don't know the correct terms but I really loved the scenes, transitions, camera angles, the lighting, and how the soundtrack played into all of that.

Would 10/10 recommend this movie. It's such a gem.

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Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Just Chinese and targeted towards modern youth

I did not think much when I chose this movie and I was nit ready to get so emotional watching it. I had been feeling like a failure and thinking that "the 18 years old me would be ashamed of the current me." This is almost what this movie explores: a character loosing its essence and will in pursuit of things that where once but a sideline in the overall plot of their life.
I cried my eyes out watching this movie and guess what? I have been feeling much better since. In the book "The Body Keeps The Score", the writer suggests that one way we can turn a traumatic memory into a normal one, is to re-narrate it and change the story; the exact thing that traumatic memories do not allow to happen. It seems like "Suddenly 17" and the way it narrates, did the re-narration for me and healed something in me that I could not completely formulize myself.
Bravo to all the hands in on production of this work. Everybit of the massage was perfectly delivered through nusances of colors, motions and sounds and the right metaphores.

Leggi di Più

Don't we all wish to turn back the clock? This movie is about rediscovering self and what was once lost is found again. Technically not really time travel back to past for me as it only involves changes of memories and mentality since the female MC would become her younger self of 17 years old whenever she ate the special chocolate. However it is about this technicality that really made the plot interesting because it somewhat reminds us that in reality even without these special chocolates, we get to choose what mentality we want to project if we really look into ourselves. Whether we want to choose to believe in ourselves and revisit our lost dreams and passion, knowing in life it is never too late. At one point during the argument between the female MC and her long-time boyfriend whereby the female MC (the young, unafraid version of herself after taken the chocolate) blamed her boyfriend for getting in her way towards her dream and passion while the boyfriend retaliated on this blame, I thought to myself how true it is this scene - we all want to choose to be able to blame another for what has failed in our life when in reality all we can do instead is to pick up the mess ourselves and work towards getting things right. In the movie, it was shown how the female MC took the long route towards picking up herself but the journey was necessary for her to come to this realization - that whether it was her 17 years old self of her 28 years old self, she, alone can make it happen as long as she never give up and get lost in herself. I think this was truly the most meaningful drive home point for me from this movie. To be honest, I was not too keen on the ending except I guess to go along with the theme on 'what was lost found again'.

Leggi di Più

Started this with many questions. Is it a fantastic movie? Will she be turning 17 after eating something or smelling something?

It began with Liang, leading a “perfect” life. She wakes up before her boyfriend to look beautiful, weighs herself to check if she's in shape, and prepares breakfast—all narrated by her, emphasizing how she’s been doing this for 3656 days. But today was different because she thought her boyfriend would propose. It was a misunderstanding, though, so in rebellion, she pulls out the snacks and starts eating while watching TV.

That's when she sees the advertisement for The Lifetime chocolate...

When she eats the chocolate, her mind reverts to her 17-year-old self. She discovers she's been in a relationship for 10 years and never painted or studied in France as she once dreamed. So, she starts doing whatever she wants for 5 hours, then returns to being 28-year-old Liang, with her best friend watching over her.

The plot was surprisingly not that bad. The dynamic between her present self and her 17-year-old self was entertaining—they bicker because they're opposites but learn to compromise and help each other. However, they can't both live: each loves a different man, one enjoys her youth and the thrill of life, while the other struggles with a 10-year relationship. One paints with passion, the other struggles to find that passion again. It's as if her 17-year-old self came to wake her up, saying, "This is not what we wanted. We are the same person. We have to change, we have to thrive. It's never too late."

Even though I guessed the ending, I couldn’t stop watching. It couldn’t have ended any other way.

So yeah! Because I enjoyed the movie, it was funny, light, and the surprise of finding Darren Wang was a treat. I’m giving it an 8.5/10.

Leggi di Più

I love this movie!! This is awesome movie. I like the reality they show with big Liang and small Liang. I like the acting cast. They do their best!!
This movie makes me cry at last and it makes me laugh too!!
I love the attachment between big and small Liang!! Wallace huo acting was too good but this movie was basically about Liang xia and about time travel.
This movie is so good. I love the acting of the female lead basically I watch this movie bcz of Wallace huo but when I watch this movie, I love female lead!! How she overcome all her obstacles and when she find herself back. I love this movie!! Everyone should watch it!♥️♥️

Leggi di Più

The heroine is a great actress. The emotion she carries on her face is wonderful.

I liked the filming. I usually don’t notice things like this but this movie made me pay attention.

This is a really fun twist of putting a 17 year old into a 28 year old body.
I really liked how confident she is and how she acts like a teenager so beautifully.
17 year old Liang is so much fun and sassy. Her facial expressions are so relaxed and free.

The premise was so cute that I really wanted some creativity to the storyline. It was a bit lacking especially the motivations of the current 28 year old Liang was so weak. But at least she played with her own character a bit.

“I want to experiences lots of things with you. We’ve got plenty of time, right?”

I really loved the idea of how Liang had it in her and she just had to reclaim that skill of hers.

“She made me who I am.”

I think that’s such a beautiful perspective of one’s youth. Everyone has regrets on past behaviours and decisions but the person who made those decisions is still you and you made you who you are.

A woman who is a master of her craft is always a delight to see.

“No one cares about me in your world.”
“But you can take care of yourself. Don’t you remember how we slowly lost ourselves amidst our emotions and confusion?”

She had to love herself, reconcile with her past, to get on with her life.

Leggi di Più

The premise of this film isn’t something we haven’t seen before but it’s the actors and the way they portray their characters and how the story develops that makes it enjoyable to watch.

Xia Liang (Ni Ni) has been in a committed relationship with her boyfriend for the past ten years. She basically lives as a housewife but without the ring, wedding nor official title. It’s not like she’s expecting him to propose in a obvious and annoying kind of way, Liang is happy to just be with him. But when she finds a diamond ring in his jacket pocket, she starts to get ideas. Of course, it all explodes in her face. Isn’t that the way?

That’s when with the help of some magical (or should I say spiked?) chocolates, her 17 year old self starts to take over her body. After the initial confusion, 28 year old Liang and her younger self start to work together in order to regain youthful boldness while reclaiming and achieving long lost dreams.

The rest of the characters are also a lot of fun to watch. Liang’s boyfriend (Wallace Huo) has a lot of reflecting and groveling to do in order to correct his mistakes, while the other love interest (Darren Wang) is the dreamboat we all fantasize about. But does the fantasy hold a candle to the real thing?

Liang’s best friend (Ma Su) was hilarious and supportive, and added another layer of the girl power portrayed in this film.

Overall, this was a very sweet film to watch.

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