John Polk First, to those that are pointing out and complaining about Hayden Panettere being so prominent on the DVD cover, you can't figure out why that is? I'm not even going to explain. Second, yes - there are plenty of short comings in this movie, like all the movie out there. But I really really loved this movie for what it is. I won't go into the plot and synopsis since everyone else have but I thought the acting was just incredible in this movie. The weak link is Kelly Hu. Ken and Hayden were ridiculously great. One of the worst parts of the movie is that there weren't enough of Hyden's scenes because she does such an awesome job!!! The scene from the movie theater (funniest and most heart breaking scene ever) and when is being driven to her school...not to mention the laundromat scene and the ending scene are all done to perfection.As for the unbelievable storyline, I can see why some would think that. A young, hot blonde girl falling in love with (much) older Asian guy? How unrealistic is that? The fact is, it is rather uncommon but not an impossibility. It probably happens more often in the west coast (SF, LA, etc) than in the east coast but things are changing. I am Asian and I met one of gf's when she was half my age. She was white. And, not to go off on a tangent, Asian men tend to look much younger than their age...so we actually looked like we were in the same age group. Nobody ever questioned our age differences. Yes - how they meet in the movie is a bit contrived. Yes - the ending is a bit too hopeful. But so what!!?? It's a romantic comedy with a great message. Ken Leung's character starts off being really unlikeable actually - he is a womanizer, he is lazy with nothing but excuses and still living off of his father... but he does have his set of moral values and, in the end, becomes a lovable character. I just wish they kissed in the end when she turned 18. I would really love to see a part 2!!

ZoraKitty This movie was OK. Not good not great not awesome. It was just OK. First of all the character Liam Wu is creepy. He's 28 years old and dating a high school student! That's gross. Technically he's a pedophile. Even if he didn't kiss her or have sexual intercourse, he's still a pedophile. And looking at all the reviews I'm guessing you guys missed that? Anyway the movie was fine and it went smoothly but it was lacking something. I mean it was funny but Liam's sarcastic and pessimistic personality made watching the rest of the movie tedious. Then there was the fact that when he first came back from China to get his stuff, he was acting all high and mighty and told his friend not to call him Liam because that was his "slave name". That's kind of insulting, and I get that he was trying to be funny but that didn't make any sense at all. Oh and one more thing! The DVD picture that had a huge close up of Hayden? One question. Why? The movie wasn't about her it was about Liam.

ghoge Much has been made by other reviewers about how "Shanghai Kiss" breaks away from the unflattering stereotypes that dog Asian men in American popular culture. And to be sure, I'm glad to see these folks playing roles other than martial artist or math geek. But in its relentless quest to show that, yes, an Asian guy can indeed sleep with white chicks, this movie gives us an entirely unsympathetic main character and throws him into completely implausible situations.Nowhere do we see why it is that Ken Leung's character is such a babe magnet. Instead, we get someone who is shallow, egotistical, moody, immature, and just plain annoying. And he's not even especially handsome, either (though he does have a sort of boyish cuteness). In short, there's nothing particularly desirable or appealing about this guy. Yet, inexplicably, the ladies just can't get enough of him.And as if the fact that the protagonist is totally irritating isn't enough to detract from our enjoyment of the movie, there's also the rank implausibility of the storyline. I mean, how often do attractive women (of any race) blatantly throw themselves at random strangers (again, of any race) on public buses? Or, when someone just steps off a trans-Pacific airline flight, how likely is it that they are immediately going to go someplace where -- you guessed it -- women are eagerly waiting to pleasure him? To me, the whole thing smacked of the film makers shouting out as loudly as they can, "Hey, look at this! Asian guys can get some action in bed!" Well, OK, that's swell, I guess. But somehow, I don't think that making our "hero" out to be as unappealing and unsympathetic as possible, while putting him into completely implausible and unbelievable situations, advances the cause of Asian male de-stereotyping.Full disclosure: I hit my limit and stopped watching the movie about a half-hour into it (right after the main character arrived in Shanghai). So that's why I'm giving it two stars, because maybe it got better after that. But as for me, I'm afraid I'll just have to keep hoping that maybe someday I'll find a non-stereotypical Asian guy in the movies who's actually worth spending some time with.

Yang Li Regardless of some of the stereotypical female characters, unrealistic situations (i.e. white girl picking up Asian guy on a bus), this movie explores some very real issues and important themes.One of the reasons i think this movie has been taking a lot of flak for its characters development is its the first of its kind to have a Asian American MALE LEAD who DOESN"T fit the stereotypical molds. So obviously, lots of things are unrealistic. But lets examine why they seem unrealistic and seemingly improbable. It is because its never been portrayed.Media defines culture. Music, movies, literature, art, these things are what defines culture, so obviously anything that happens in the world that can be attributed to any of the aforementioned mediums has credibility and realism, and anything that does not seem improbable. But we have to remember, HUMAN BEINGS write literature, create art, make music and direct movies. WE are in control of what defines us, and i think this movie does a great job in creating a NEW definition of what normal Asian Americans can be like, again it is a movie, so its hypothetical. Does anyone not watch spider man? Again the point is not about whether its realistic, because it is, i've seen it and i've been where this character's been, the emotions that are portrayed are very real, and if your not Asian American, or are not 1.5 generational Asian American, then you simply do not experience this cultural identity confusion and you probably will not understand this movie. But for those who fit the description and can identify with ken leung's character, this movie contains very real emotions, and of course we should be the ones that like this movie. it is kind of a movie about Asian Americans.