Waiting Alone (2004) User Reviews

Not an ordinary Chinese Movie

[mikeyan · 8/10 · 23 October 2005]

Just saw this movie and I got to say , this is not an ordinary Chinese Movie,or, not an ordinary movie at all.

s/*************spoiler ahead***************/s

At the Beginning , I thought it's just another romance story with the guy gets the perfect girl at the end. As the plot moving forward, I found that's highly unlikely. And then I though the movie would be a guy-found-out-true-lover-is-always-there-but-he-never-knew kinda movie. However, for the second time, I'm still wrong. This guy gets nobody at all. I think this is the main reason why this movie is so different. The story didn't follow any conventional patterns but still feels quite reasonable (at least for me).

s/*************spoiler ends here***************/s

This movie is also very unconventional in its style. I'm a native Chinese who saw lots of American movies. So I can feel this movie's combination of Chinese/American movie styles. The lines are very "BeiJingful", some jokes can only be appreciated by a Chinese(or even Beijinese). But the fast-paced editing style, versatile camera position and utilization of various music are definitely American. I won't say the movie is "best of both worlds", but I think at least Mr.Dayyan Eng, the director, knows what's the essence of Chinese movies and American movies, and he mixed them well. (He is mix-blooded as far as I know)

P.S. There'll be a great surprise waiting for you at the end of the movie, but don't worry, you don't need to watch all the end credit to get that surprise.

Memories of youth

[g-89622 · 8/10 · 10 October 2021]

I don't remember who said in "waiting alone" that there is always someone for you in the world. Let each of us alone waiting for the right person to appear! The life described in the film is Beijingers, but also young people of that year, boring, fantasy, vacant, decadent. But no one can do without struggling, struggling with the rules of life, struggling with the controversy of secular commentary, waiting alone. "Either live well, or you will go to hell! To the man who slipped away from you.

Great Movie, The one you should not miss

[niyiru · 9/10 · 5 October 2005]

Great Movie. I think it is the best Chinese Movie in the recent years. With the combination of interesting story, good actors and the most important, one talented director, this movie expressed some thoughts that are rare in Chinese Movies.

I have never heard the director before, but definitely, he is a genius. In this film, you can feel the vivid happiness and pain from the very love of the man named Wenzi. And some pictures and scenes remind me of the movie Amelie, especially the scene of the painted flowers dancing on the wall of Wenzi's house.

This is one great movie, and hope the director can produce more and more movies in the near future.

Charming modern romantic comedy set in Beijing

[monto · 9/10 · 30 April 2006]

Set in the urban sprawl of modern day Beijing, it tracks the romantic endeavors of 20-something Chen Wen (Xia Yu of "In the Heat of the Sun"), a lonely accountant-cum-antiques dealer with aspirations of being a horror writer. He meets and immediately falls for Liu Rong (Li Bingbing), a small-time actress. A close knit group of friends since high school, including an aspiring pair of musicians, businessman, director, and illustrator/artist, offer Chen advice in his attempts to woo Liu, often to embarrassing, but hilarious, results.

At first glance, the plot may sound formulaic, but with time, interesting revelations dispel such notions. The film is shot largely with close-ups, taking advantage of the handsome, yet talented, cast, featuring fluid camera movement and cuts more familiar to Western audiences. A few brief alternative/dream sequences to promote the humor seem a bit out of place, as did occasional voice-over narration by Chen. Scenes take place in a variety of locales, including urban shopping centers and night clubs that Western audiences may not be used to seeing in Chinese films. Chinese pop songs littered throughout were effective in aiding the storytelling and development of the main character, Chen.

All in all, a hip and charming comedy ruminating on the modern man's lonely travels through romance and friendship. Even those familiar with the conventional Hollywood romantic comedies featuring the starlets of the month will find something funny and appealing in "Waiting Alone"

Outstanding film about new generation Chinese

[rickvb18 · 10/10 · 10 September 2006]

Bravo! Finally, a film that is not just kung-fu and legends, but someone showing young Chinese as they are. Set in present-day Beijing, I feel the director of this movie has started a revolution in films in China by creating a true portrait of young modern-day Chinese. "Waiting Alone" is a touching film that is absolutely delightful! A testimony to the quality of this movie is the fact that it was nominated for "Best Picture" at the Golden Rooster awards (China's "Oscars") in 2005 -- which says a lot about the writer-director, since this was his first feature-length film, and he is the first "foreigner" to ever receive such a nomination (his biography does note, however, that he is half Chinese!). If you haven't seen this movie yet, be sure to get a copy of the DVD and you won't regret it. I can't wait to see more from this talented director!

Well made movie - on clueless loser guys!

[sgoswami-1 · 1/10 · 25 June 2012]

Am sure the girls were laughing their *****s off. I was beating my head against the TV....I give this a 1 coz am tired of all this clueless guy movies with a curious dry feeling between their legs. Usual plot line - A beautiful girl pops up and the stags or the main male actor can't keep his pants on. Well after monkeying around for a good part of the movie the dude gets whacked and smacked by the 'girl of his dreams'. Saving face that his friend's sis has a crush on him and he has some romantic salvation in the end!

Some tips for all these "Romantic Comedy" movie makers

STOP MAKING A*****S OF GUYS. If you yourself suck with women get some experts to write the script. Hint: If the girl is screwing around right smack on the guy's face, what does he do.....that girl is history he will not even remember her for the next 10 lifetimes. In other words move on to the next girl. Maybe next time you can line up 10 actresses for the lead to go through....am sure your movie will be rated higher. And for God's sake don't have guys on screen like they just got out of prison after 10 years!