Reviewed by: Chinoco Date: 03/09/2006 Summary: ZZZZZZZ This was bad. Don't bother with it. Seriously. I rented this movie at Blockbuster. They don't carry many HK films so I came to the conclusion that there must be something really special about this movie. How wrong I was. The plot on the back of the DVD cover even looked cool. The main story was a feud between an over-the-top male radio talk show host and a female journalist. I could live with that, it sure sounded interesting. Plus the movie featured Eric Tsang- one of my favorites. The movie really isn't really worth an in-depth analysis. I'll make it simple: 1) the plot went nowhere. 2) There was no chemistry between the cast. 3) The jokes weren't funny; and most of all- it was as boring as can be imagined. If your looking for Eric Tsang to come in and save the show with his zany antics (I know I sure was), forget it. He played a dull nerd like character who spends most of his time hanging out with a dog in the park. I'm not even sure he cracked a joke. Fans of HK comedy and action films- look somewhere else. Fans of the Lifetime channel- give it a try. Reviewer Score: 1

Reviewed by: JohnR Date: 01/09/2006 Summary: Needs a Do-Over A so-so romance comedy. Aaron Kwok gives a good performance, though limited by the script. Kelly Chan adopts the Sammi Cheng dork approach, which I thought was refreshing as it allowed her to put a little life into her character, though Sammi's way better at it. I'm surprised at the people who thought the script/plot was good; I found it disappointing. There's no way anyone would need to issue a spoiler warning in reviewing this movie because everything is very predictable in the relationship between Kwok and Chan. The side story with Eric Tsang and Teresa Mo had some humor in it, but was an unnecessary diversion. I would have preferred that Ivy Ho had used that time toward the Kwok/Chan relationship, which had some real potential but ended up just going through the motions. Some movies are predictable but you don't care because where they're going isn't important, it's the journey. This isn't one of those.

Reviewed by: icacutee Date: 04/18/2003 This movie was boring. It was the average romantic comedy, but there wasn't anything new or surprising here. To make things worse, Kelly wasn't even pretty. The best dude in this movie was Mark Lui. Other than that, don't bother.

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 11/23/2002 Summary: YIKES!! A so so romantic comedy. Funny enough, the sub story was more interesting, which looked at Eric Tsang and Teresa Mo's relationship rather than Kelly Chan and Aaron Kwok. Just by reading that, yeah the movie isn't the best. You may get a few laughs but the idea of Kelly Chan and Aaron Kwok's characters falling in love is just WAY too outrageous!! Look for better romantic comedies elsewhere!! 5/10

Reviewed by: zarrsadus Date: 08/19/2002 Agreeing with Sydneyguy on this one, so-so plotline and a substory which was more interesting than the main plot. My main gripe with this film was the sad excuse of an ending, it was as if the movie was running too long and suddenly things had to be wrapped up in the next 5 minutes to make a time limit for length. Poorly done and didn't really explain anything at the end either. All in all nothing too special here, go see "Needing You" if you want a good romantic movie. Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: Trigger Date: 11/20/2001 Summary: And the film is So So... Aaron Kwok and Kelly Chan star in this semi-sappy romantic comedy about a cocky radio DJ squaring off against an uptight quirky column writer. There is little comedy beyond what is there to keep you interested. Kelly Chan looks quite dorky and not as pretty as I know she is. This is her follow up to her big action film - Tokyo Raiders in which she spent most of the time looking quite stunning. Here she looks rather homely. Aaron is also here following his big action film 2000A.D. and he looks the same. Does he ever look different? I think his acting has improved from film to film and in this you can almost hardly tell he's acting. Kelly Chan is somewhat of a zombie. I don't know if that's her style or what, but she seems to lack the ability to emote. Her best acting abilities allow her to look distracted or stare into space or lock eyes with some inanimate object in extreme concentration to convey to the audience that she's deep in introspective thought. Some people may like her, but the more I see of her - the less appealing she becomes. Especially in this film in which she dresses rather frumpy. It seems to be one outfit that she has in many different colors, but you have to pay attention or it will seem as though she never changes clothes. Eric Tsang provides comic relief - he's the roly poly guy from Gen-X cops and Jet Li's Hitman. He's wasted here as his part is pointless. The story is familiar. It reminded me of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's You've Got Mail - I think this film was heavily influenced even though it has little in common story-wise. In And I Hate You So, Kelly finds a record (remember those, kids?) she had given her "first love" (these hk romance films are all about 'first love' - I often see that phrase in these types of films) in a pawn shop. Upset that her first love had given this keepsake away, she tried to buy it - unfortunately for her, Aaron Kwok's character had already staked a claim on it. From here on out, they just fight with each other. Deep down though, you know that it just means they love each other. Basically - I wasn't emotionally involved in the story of these two, I didn't feel any scene was particularly funny, and I didn't really care all that much about whether they were going to end up together or not. I thought there were some well concieved bits of romantic pith there, but not enough to get me to care. I didn't care for You've Got Mail either, but And I Hate You So was better. I liked Fighting For Love better than this one though both in acting performances and writing. And I Hate You So had some nice production value and the DVD reflected this. Universe Laser put it out and there have been some mastering problems lately with Universe. My disc was defective (as were a few others I've bought) and this seems to be something that is happening to a few other people. If you purchase this DVD, make sure you know the store's return and exchange policy. Outside of the manufacturing problem with the disc, for the money - the disc is top notch. It has a great transfer and the sound is also quite good. There are trailers and footage from the film's premier. The subtitles are easy to read and removable and there aren't all that many grammatical errors. There is a 5.1 Cantonese track and a Mandarin track (but unless you speak Mandarin, it's pointless to listen to it). Overall - I'd have to give the film a 6/10 (C-) (2 1/2 Stars/5). I didn't quite hate it and I didn't really like it. I thought it was "OK" and I'd probably sit through it again at some point. It was certainly well made and the only problems it had was some stiff acting and a bit of stale writing/subject matter. Worth seeing if you're hard-up for a romance, but don't expect to be overwhelmed with emotion and don't expect to laugh very much either (unless you think Aaron Kwok's hairdo is funny). Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: Souxie Date: 07/24/2001 Summary: ROTFLMAO Yes I did (Rolled On The Floor Laughed My Ass Off) at some scenes in this movie. Aaron Kwok gets a deliciously easy role as a selfish DJ who thinks he's the gods' gift to women. Kelly Chen is the journo with a column she can use to get back at him. The first hour is fantastic, with a snide very public war between them - he bought an old LP from a junk shop and refused to sell it to her - and the second is mainly about how he realises he doesn't want her to go off and marry someone else... Slickly done, well written and some good belly-laughs here. Eric Tsang is good as always... 8/10 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Paul Fonoroff Date: 11/23/2000 It’s ironic that the two chief factors in And I Hate You So’s box office appeal are also its chief shortcomings: Aaron Kwok and Kelly Chan. The two stars are among the most stunning of Hong Kong’s legion of youth idols, and there is no denying they make a handsome couple. But neither is known for a sense of humour, which—more than physical beauty—is an essential requirement for a raucous romantic comedy. And I Hate You So has something rare for a Hong Kong movie, a finely tuned script. Ivy Ho, whose scenario for Comrades, Almost a Love Story is a landmark of 1990s Cantonese cinema, has composed the year’s brightest screenplay. The plot is a variation of the “battle of the sexes”, with an earthy DJ combating a sharp-tongued newspaper columnist. The dialogue is clever but never achieves maximum effectiveness due to miscasting. Kelly looks great in her outfits, and there never was a more handsome DJ than Aaron. But one doesn’t believe for a moment that she is capable of writing such glorious pieces, nor that someone like him would be content with keeping his face hidden on radio. This is art director Yee Chung-man’s second turn behind the director’s megaphone, and the work is superior to his directorial debut, Anna Magdalena. Once again he is teamed with stars Kwok and Chan, with Ho supplying the words, but this time around there is a lighter touch that makes the results more riveting. The art direction by David Pun and Pater Wong, Peter Pau’s camerawork, and Dora Ng’s wardrobe design are gorgeous, almost too much so. A subplot deals with the middle-aged romance of a zany antique store owner (Teresa Mo Sun-kwun, making a welcome return to the screen after too-lengthy an absence) and her dumpling-like paramour (Eric Tsang Chi-wai). As amusing as the two comedy pros are, And I Hate You So needs a comic subplot less than a Teresa Mo and an Eric Tsang in the leads. They would have done the script justice, bringing out the nuance, humour, and pathos that is now partially obscured by a pretty veneer. 3 stars This review is copyright (c) 2000 by Paul Fonoroff. All rights reserved. No part of the review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: MilesC Date: 10/28/2000 Summary: Most nonsensical romance since Sausalito. With screenplays this inept being made into high-profile movies, I have to wonder if the "flying paper" approach to plotting is really such a negative alternative. Although the film chugs along agreeably enough for most of its running time, it utterly fails to arouse any emotion other than disgust, and contains a few massive blunders. The relationship between Teresa Mo and Eric Tsang is perhaps the most glaring; it should've either been its own movie, been tied more closely to the central story, or simply been dropped. Instead, it's about twenty minutes of amusing padding; quite a lot of wasted time for a film that runs under 100 minutes. No, I spoke too soon; the biggest weak link in this movie full of weak links is, unfortunately, the central relationship. It simply doesn't make any sense. The various adverserial episodes are mildly entertaining, but there's virtually no indication of any kind of romantic spark between the two. The screenwriter and director don't seem to be able to decide who the main character is; Kelly Chen seems to be the protagonist for most of the movie, but an inexplicable shift at the end turns Aaron Kwok into the lead as he pines for Kelly. (Spoiler, but no shock whatsoever) A less conventional ending might've made for a less unpleasant aftertaste, but instead, we're lead to believe that a song (a very, very bad English song, at that)will make Kelly break off her engagement and emigration plans to be with Aaron, despite the fact that there seems to have been no attraction between them previously. Add few moments of incredibly heavy-handed but basically meaningless symbolism and you have a film that, while being watchable enough, can only, in the final analysis, be regarded with contempt.

Reviewed by: shelly Date: 08/16/2000 Summary: A screwball-romantic-comedy ultimately goes awry A surprisingly enjoyable, zesty screwball comedy, featuring an abundance of clevery, sparkling writing, sublimely beautiful cinematography and lighting by Peter Pau, and two strong lead performances. I was impressed despite the main actor. If a movie stars Aaron Kwok, and I'm not actively uncomfortable with his presence, then I count it a major success. And here, the role fits him like a glove: a narcissistic, quite annoying entertainment-world figure with a real swagger and an offbeat ladies' man appeal: this is Aaron's role of a lifetime, no? On the other hand, I belong to the party who thinks Kelly Chan's great performance in LOST AND FOUND was no fluke. So it was nice to see that confirmed, at least in the first half of the movie, by her ability to do the screwball comedy Hepburn thing: she's all off kilter energy, manic self-confidence, with a strong sense of self. SPOILER warning: But the film collapses towards its ending. It's as if the screenwriter (Ivy Ho, who has done better) lost interest or was told to "make it conventional", and the film shrinks down into little more than its genre shell. The last 10 minutes are pitiful, and almost erase all the good work that's gone before. It's sad to see Kelly's character shrink from a person to a romantic appendage of Aaron's. And couldn't the film have worked out (a la NEEDING YOU?) a less abrupt, less cliched ending? Is this is the ugly side of conventional screwball comedies? wherein a strong, independent ("feisty" in the genre) woman, equal to or even more vibrantly alive and creative than her putative male partner/rival becomes more and more domesticated, tamed, controlled, and ultimately contained by him. Sad to see Kelly's character disappear, fall under the sway of Aaron's, and fail to recover. Somehow, NEEDING YOU seemed less like a trap for the woman, more like a stage on which each of the parties in the romance managed to negotiate some middle ground, giving up a little, but preserving their autonomy and integrity in the process. Reviewer Score: 7