The Story of First Love
(Chu Lian De Gu Shi)
With a title like "First Love," do I even need to describe my fanatic screams when my dad first handed me this set of VCDs after he got back from China? Reuniting Alec with former bandmate Nicky Wu, this little movie is pretty much your typical, light-hearted, teen-idol flick. True, the simplicity of the plot (think: CLASSIC LOVE TRIANGLE) would make most non-Alec or non-Nicky fans yawn with boredom. Heck, even I zoned out occasionally. But whaddya gonna do? Put two cute guys and a spunky lead actress together and it's hard not to indulge.
The Cast:
Shing Yue (Hao Lei) - Okay, so the girl falls instantly (and unconvincingly) in love with a guy she meets on a bus (Nicky Wu), can't muster the courage to ask his name, goes on a quest to find this "love of her life," and breaks some hearts along the way. Shing Yue is definitely a lot gutsier than she seems, and I like her cute sense of humor (e.g. she talks to herself when she's mad). In some ways, she's a lot like Xiao Yan Zi - kind of ditsy, amusingly innocent. And darn lucky too. Yu Hai (Alec) was so devoted to her! Hey, if you don't want him, I'll take him!
Yu Hai (Alec Su) - Although he didn't show up until the 2nd half of the movie, his appearance would make any Alec fan drool. Honestly, ladies, this guy can't get any cuter. Too bad his character was a boring, quiet, one-dimensional kind of guy who said some incredibly stupid things (to Shing Yue: "Why do we have to commun-
icate by talking?") Still, minus the muteness, he's almost the perfect boyfriend. The way he took care of Shing Yue when she was sick was just way too sweet. And if nothing else, simply watching Alec in his adorable self onscreen is enough.
Yu Bo (Nicky Wu) - This is the third time I've seen Nicky Wu in a movie and, frankly, I'M SO SICK OF HIM! It seems that every role he plays is always the ladykiller who can't take a hint if his life depended on it. Incredibly frustrating to watch, I could never tell if he liked Shing Yue or not until the very end. What was up with the whole blowing-on-her-forehead bit? Personally, I don't think he was worth Shing Yue's relentless searching and loyalty. It's not like he was any less boring than Yu Hai was. Okay, that came out wrong. Still, Nicky: take a hint next time!
The sweetest scene ever:
The Filming:

I gotta admit: Huan Zhu Ge Ge it ain't. Throughout the sketchy filming, scenes jumped in logic from one to another, and some parts simply didn't make any sense (e.g. at one point a bum pops out of nowhere and jumps into Shing Yue's car in Shanghai). The way Shing Yue and Yu Bo kept bumping into eachother also carried a sense of suspicious serendipity. Despite these lowlights, the storyline wasn't too hard to follow, and the background music was often right on. By far the sweetest scene occurs when Shing Yue runs into Yu Hai's arms after feeling dumped by Yu Bo. Even though this scene lasted all of two seconds, the beautiful music and the first-person camera shots created a super romantic, spine-tingling scene. (See Above).
The 2nd sweetest scene: Who wants to trade places with Hao Lei?
Overall:
I'd recommend "First Love" to anyone who:
1) doesn't want to use too much brain power in understanding a film
2) is a sucker for light romantic teen flicks
3) wants to see a "Xiao-yan-zi"-like leading lady
4) idolizes Nicky Wu
5) obsesses over Alec Su (you won't be disappointed)
6) is/does all of the above
...And that's a wrap.
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Pictures painstakingly researched from alec-su.com