Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
robertjd-1
At first glance, this seems a lot like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", the great John Candy classic, but with Chinese characteristics. Instead of traveling home for Christmas, in this version, the two unlikely travel companions meet and have to share unfortunate circumstances on their trip during Chinese New Year. In the beginning, the naive country-bumpkin character tries to bring what looks like 3-4 gallons of milk onto the plane only to be thwarted by China's version of the TSA. He protests by drinking the entire jug in front of an impatient line of fellow passengers.From there, the film gives a great glimpse of contemporary Chinese society including overcrowding, scams, knockoff products, the yawning gap between the affluent and the less well-to-do but also shows the warmth and sincerity as well. All done in a well paced, light-hearted enjoyable flick.