[China] For Love or Money 2014 - Liu Yi Fei, Rain (Bi)

[Linda]

Lifted from Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Lov...282014_film%29

For Love or Money (Chinese: 露水红颜) is an Chinese romance film directed by Gao Xixi and starring Liu Yifei and Rain. Originally slated for release on November 11, 2014, the film was moved earlier to November 7, 2014

Cast

Liu Yifei
Rain
Wang Xuebing
Joan Chen
Shao Feng
Tiffany Tang
Andy On
Sun Haiying
Allen Lin
Dong Yong

Difficult_Love_film_poster.jpg



Plot: Major SPOILERS - I'm going to tell you everything.

LYF plays Xiang Lu who was an air hostess for an international airline, while in Vienna she is almost run over by Rain's Xu Cheng Xun, who apologies than takes a snap shot of her with his phone, skips to Joan who is Rain's mum commenting that this girl will do while looking at XL's picture. XL returns to Shanghai and is out shopping with her friend, they are talking about her boyfriend Yang Zhen Min who is a rich businessman, they spot a wedding party with the same name and XL goes to check it out. She discovers her rich boyfriend is getting married, he chases her out and proclaims his undying love for her, calling his marriage is only for business reasons. She says money can't buy love, he proclaims its because the calling price wasn't high enough. She breaks up with him and runs off.

We cut to XCX who is walking leisurely along the footpath when he comes across the scene of a young woman standing up top a building ready to commit suicide. He goes to the roof top and after a few minutes of trying to talk her out of it, she loses her balance and in his attempt to save her they both fall down onto the large inflatable jumping castle thing below.

The two are eventually released from the police station and he follows her home, they introduce themselves and she tells him she owns a cafe, he can come over to confirm she's alive tomorrow.

click to show/hide spoilers

The two starts a new relationship, one where he is constantly hard pressed with money and ends up trying different means to make money to provide her with the things she wanted. Like racing to buy her a french dinner and selling his most treasured paintings to buy her the ring she liked.

XL sleeps with him and keeps having nightmares and feels pressured and guilty every time he does something nice for her, so when he proposes, she buys back the paintings and breaks up with him.

We see in flashbacks that XL was approached by XCX's family to entice him to fall in love with her, than break his heart because he is poor and penniless, he's mum wants him to return to the family and become a cold hard businessman. She is offered 15 million yuan for the deal. She originally takes the money as her father is in hospital, but the guilt eventually gets to her and she tries to back out of the deal, but she couldn't so ends up keeping her side of the bargain even though she knows she loves XCX.

XCX spots her going into a hotel with her ex Yang Zhen Min, who had previously came back wanting her to return to him. He questions her why she is doing this to him, wherein she replies she doesn't want to live the poor life with him.

XCX is heartbroken and breaks all the pictures he drew of her. While XL doesn't end up sleeping with her Ex but tells him truthfully that she was using him to break XCX. YZM finally lets go when he realises she's neither loves or hates him and has finally succumbed to the evils of money like him.

XCX returns home and becomes a cold hard man who drinks himself into oblivion when alone, she continues to torment him, wanting to break free from his innocent self, he tells his assistant to sell off his prized paintings for 1 Yuan. His assistant reports back that someone had paid a hefty sum of 15 million yuan to buy the paintings. XCX tracks the art dealer down to Vienna.

He enters the apartment and finds XL huddled in a chair in the dark, he mocks her for her glum living quaters and ask after her rich boyfriend. finally admitting he was a rich man but decided to live the life he wanted instead, he could have offered her everything but it was she who made him into who he is today.

XL breaks down after he leaves and realizes she can't lose him so ends up chasing him on the street. XCX turns around after having driven away and goes to look for her, only she's left by then. XL runs into a beggar who tries to snatch XCX engagement ring from her, when she fights back he stabs her and she falls into the water. XCX goes with her to the operation room and finds the ring she still wears. He breaks down crying holding onto the ring.

XCX returns home and tells his mum he is going to start over with XL and won't have anything to do with her and the family anymore and to stop interfering in his life.

He goes back to the cafe and see's XL, he puts the ring on her finger and ask her to marry him, this time she agrees and the movie ends with the two sitting on a bench with XL pregnant.

Well...from what I've read the movie didn't do well at the cinemas and I can see why. Its a very cliche film and the directing is really bad. I watched the trailer ages ago when it first came out and was expecting a lot more, I'm still bummed I didn't see this scene in all its full glory...
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I can say I was very impressed with Liu Yi Fei, who handled her character quiet well, there were some very raw scenes that I was utterly impressed with.

I can't say the same about RAIN, he lacks the youthful naivety that character calls for, even when he turned cold he just came of as bored.

The two lacks chemistry, she had better chemistry with her ex boyfriend than she had with him.

anyone else sat through this film?

[bakaPX]

I posted a review of this on my blog.
http://operationfobbiness.blogspot.com/2015/03/for-love-or-for-money-cmovie.html
However, I actually enjoyed this movie. Now that I think about it, Rain and LYF did lack a bit of chemistry.

[charbydis]

Actually, I watched it but am confused by the point of the story. What message were we to walk away from the movie with? Love triumphs all? Everyone has a good and bad side? Rich people are jerks?

While I have to admit, LYF's acting has improved by leaps and bounds, I do not find her character likable. I fact all the characters are unlikable and distant. I find them hard to connect with. LYF does best when she is acting by herself and shows depth in her complicated character. Everyone else failed to make an impression on me.

The cinematography was very beautiful of both major cities, from roof down to eye level on the streets. But some of the lighting was really dark indoors. Visually it was nice, but I did not really enjoy it. Just not interested in it and the ending is strange considering all the trauma that one of the characters went through in the last 10 mins of the film.