Random Musings

Ok now that I’ve got your attention, let me launch into my review proper.

“The Leap Years” is a locally-made movie that recently launched on the 29th of Feb with much publicity.

It is based on a novella (what is a novella?!?) by esteemed local writer Catherine Lim, and is based on the notion that a man shall not reject a woman if she proposes to him on a Leap Day.

I watched this movie with great expectations…mainly because of the massive hype.

I came away with mixed feelings about the movie.

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Motif = Weak

My main issue with the movie was that the motif was weak.

It was rather unbelievable, or whimsical, if you will. And that was probably the cause of the movie’s downfall, in my opinion.

It’s just like if a musical piece’s leitmotif is a weak one, no amount of sophisticated arrangement or musical surprises along the way can really make up for the fact that the main motif is essentially weak.

The “hook” (or motif) of The Leap Years is the premise of two lovers meeting each other only on the 29th of February (which also happens to be the birthday of the main character, Li Ann). Somehow the movie really plays up this “29th of February” motif to the point of exhaustion.

My point is this: How realistic can a plot, set between 1996-2008 in cosmopolitan Singapore, be when it features two star-crossed lovers who can ONLY wait till the 29th of February every four years to meet up with one another, at the Windows Cafe?

If it were set in, say, the Victorian Age or something, I could understand. But this kind of motif doesn’t quite cut it in present day Singapore, my friend. Not in the age of handphones and email and Facebook and stuff. People just don’t put themselves through this kind of whimsical stuff in this day and age.

And that’s the problem…if a movie’s not very believable, then I find it hard to be emotionally attached to what’s going on in the story.

What I did like about the movie however, were the little sub-themes that kept popping up along the way, such as the theme of “wind”, which also played a big part in the story.

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Acting

Wong Li Lin deserves high praise for such a captivating performance. I thought she performed really well, carrying the lead role sturdily.

Ananda “Orlando Bloom” Everingham was not too bad in his portrayal of the free-spirited Bohemian lover.

The other honourable mention must go to Paula Malai Ali for putting such naturalness in a role which otherwise might have been an easily forgettable one. She’s a good actress.

Watching the “four female friends” in the movie, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the four ladies from “Sex and the City”!

Qi Yu Wu stuck out like a sore thumb, not only because of his rather poor English enunciation, but also for his rather straight-laced and uni-dimensional acting.

Vernetta Lopez was her usual zany “radio personality” self, but I mean it in the best way possible. She can be really funny! But it was a pity that they had to portray her as gay in the movie…which I felt was rather dumb and redundant, cos there was absolutely zero development of the plot in that area.

Joan Chen, it has to be said, might have been a bit under-utilised in the movie playing a role with rather limited range and development.

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Script

The script tried to be romantic, touching, serendipitous and melodramatic.

Sometimes it did well, sometimes it was just poor.

I thought the most awkward part was when Qi Yu Wu bumps into a crying Nadya H and two sworn enemies suddenly embrace each other like bosom friends. That was plain weird script-writing. Too much, too soon.

Certain parts were rather too predictable, like when Wong Li Lin marries the Raymond guy, then Qi Yu Wu films her during her wedding and catches her in an “off” moment whereby she shows that she’s not really into this Raymond guy…then Qi Yu Wu has a private heart-to-heart talk with Wong Li Lin to ask her if she really loves this Raymond guy or whether she truly loves Ananda “Orlando Bloom” Everingham. (Reminds me of the scene in Jerry Maguire where Rod Tidwell catches Tom Cruise in an “off” moment during his wedding video too.)

You could just see that heart-to-heart talk coming from ten miles away.

You could even predict the words they were going to say.

And also, the part where the daughter Dyllan suddenly changes from rebellious daughter to loving daughter after reading the note in the book…I thought that was a bit too abrupt and cheesy.

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Plot Holes

There were some unfathomable plot holes, for instance:

How come when Qi Yu Wu came back to meet Wong Li Lin after so many years, she jumped and embraced him like long lost friends? And how come Qi Yu Wu greeted her so warmly even though he left her so bitterly? That’s just not normal human behaviour.

How come the Ananda “Orlando Bloom” Everingham in the Joan Chen era looks so different? How come he looks so Chinese? I spent, like, the whole movie trying to figure out who that old Chinese dude lying on the hospital bed was.

How come when Wong Li Lin meets Ananda “Orlando Bloom” Everingham for the first time at the Windows Cafe, and she slips and falls on her head, and he picks her up and brings her to sit at his table…he knew that she was the one who sent him the anonymous note when she didn’t even introduce herself?

How come Wong Li Lin never knew all along that Qi Yu Wu had been going steady with Nadya H? I thought Nadya H was one of her best pals? And if Qi Yu Wu was in Europe all the while…does that mean that Nadya H was with him in Europe all this while?

How come when Qi Yu Wu takes over the DJ’s mic backstage and reads out the love note (with his really poor English accent) from Ananda during the wedding, Wong Li Lin immediately assumed that he was reading out a love note that was just written by Ananda?

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Overall

Anyways, overall I thought it was a decent effort.

I would give The Leap Years an average rating. Like maybe a 2.5 or 3 out of five.

There were moments which were really good. There were lines in the movie which I really liked. And there was a “literary” slant to the movie too (no doubt because of the Catherine Lim influence).

However, as I said, the plot was too unbelievable for my liking. Certain parts of the script needed work. And there were scenes which were too cheesy and predictable.

Now the REAL question is this: Does the Windows Cafe in S’pore really exist, and if so, are people flocking to it now that it features so prominently in the movie?

Suddenly I want to eat chiffon cake.