Wonderful character development!

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

This film tells the story of a man who has an eventful evening in Taipei with a bookstore staff before he goes to Paris.I thought this film would be romantic and funny, but it is the exact opposite of what I imagined. The plot tries to be funny with the different subplots, but they all fall flat. The orange suited gang is not funny and the heist is not funny either. The score is repetitive, and uses the same sound effects over and over again. Acting is flat, as most characters are wooden and convey no emotions. I was thoroughly bored by this film.

Au Revoir Taipei is simply a balanced, fun, light-hearted movie that you should share with someone. Make sure that you both can live with reading the subtitles (unless you know the language). One can nitpick at any plot holes, or whether something like this could ever happen in real life. But throw all the suspicions and unnecessary skepticism out before you watch. It's simple fun with the premise that love can happen if one isn't blinded by what's around. Fun can happen if you immerse yourself into the cinema world of Taipei... and you feel as though you're truly a visitor. I hungered for street cart dumplings, myself, at the introduction of one character who can't get enough of them. There was very little, if any, CGI involved. No explosions or gratuitous violence, either. No one really wanted to hurt anyone else, and one character apologized when he actually did strike another a little too hard. The story line was not at all thick. Just a neat yarn about a guy in love, who's heart is misplaced. Yet the tale becomes intertwined as he gets involved with others who have their own ambitions, and through them, you understand that the main characters are in different stages of love. The result goes farther than anyone bargained, and all parties have to adjust to how each other reacts. A number of the characters were more interested in watching Asian soap operas on TV, and they don't realize that they're missing out of one with people they know! Not many have gravitated to Au Revoir, Taipei (at this writing, it has less than 1,000 votes), but if you like international cinema, find this film, a date that likes the same kind of movies, and share it with a bag of fresh-popped.

Au Revoir Taipei reminds me of some Western romantic films where love affairs are often thrown in with gangsters, cops, chases etc. But this film clearly is a lot more light hearted contained some hilarious dialogs between the characters. I laughed out loud during the interactions between the cops and between the real estate agents. The colors in this film are vibrant, contrasting the night sky, which is very pleasant to behold. There are many locations in the film which I recognized that only added to the realism. I wish there will be more movies like this coming out from Taiwan where intelligent plots and genuine comedic moments dominate.

Executive-produced by Wim Wenders, the great German director of Paris, Texas (1984), and Wings of Desire (1987), Au Revoir Taipei is an assured-feature length debut from Arvin Chen. Written and directed by Chen himself, the film is an ode to light-hearted, whimsical French romantic comedies, but it is ultimately rooted in the culture that is specific to the filmmaker's own. Is Taipei the new Paris, the city of love? Not yet, but through his two lead characters, Chen suggests it could be so, and it could be now.Kai (Jack Yao) is the film's protagonist. He longs to be with her girlfriend, Faye, who is now in Paris. He spends many nights at a local bookstore to read a specific guidebook that would teach him French. Susie (Amber Kuo), who works in the bookstore, finds him a lonely sight and tries to talk to him. A few exchanges of nervous glances, and the director has impressively set up a boy-girl tension between the two leads, one that strikes a delicate balance between awkwardness and syrupiness, and of which it remains pleasantly consistent throughout.Chen adds in a farcical crime attempt that Kai finds himself embroiled in. It not only turns out to be a discreet relationship building experience for Kai and Susie, but a relevant episode in which the lives of colorful, humorous supporting characters converge, creating a narrative platform for Chen to explore the singular theme of "the longing for love". The performances are generally subdued; however, the lack of expressive or emotional dialogue is not a flaw but Chen's way of letting his characters take on a conservative front.These are characters who are either shy, heartbroken (from a failed romance) or simply clueless. We see their motivations but their actions and responses, which are unbeknownst to them, remain quietly humorous to the viewer. And it is this low-key humor that Chen successfully captures that brings a positive vibe to Au Revoir Taipei. The camera-work is clean and simple because the story is clean and simple. Chen could have employed gimmicky techniques like split-screen or quick cuts to show off his talents, but they are not necessary, and I applaud him for that.Au Revoir Taipei trades a conventional and overly saccharine romantic fable for something that balances commercial appeal with art-house influences. Accompanied by a breezy though occasionally melancholic score, Chen's film will be easily embraced by anyone who demands something different from their usual diet of Western romantic comedies. This is not true love at first sight, but rather the site of first true love. Enjoy.SCORE: 8/10 (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved!