New Int'l. Release
My DNA Says I Love You!
Jiyin Jueding Wo Ai Ni (Taiwan - China)
A Serenity (in Taiwan)/Chengtian (in China) release of a
Beijing Film Studio, Warner China Film HG (China)/
Three Dots Entertainment (Taiwan) presentation, in association with Serenity Entertainment Intl., Armor Entertainment, Media Vantage,
Unit 9 Pictures, of a Three Dots Entertainment production. (International sales: Three Dots, Taipei.) Produced by
Michelle Yeh. Executive producer,
Han Sanping. Co-producers, Han Xiaoli,
Shi Dongming,
Jiang Tao,
Zhao Haicheng. Directed by
Robin Lee (Lee Yun-chan). Screenplay, Lee, Meng Yao.
With:
Terri Kwan,
Yu Nan,
Peter Ho, Eddie Peng, Lin Yu-lun.
(Mandarin dialogue)
There's a much livelier rom-com at the heart of the catchily titled
"My DNA Says I Love You!" than ever consistently reaches the screen in
this Mainland-shot second feature by Taiwanese helmer Robin Lee ("The
Shoe Fairy"). Screwy yarn about two female friends who try to fix their
lovelives by taking gene-supressant pills features some bright playing
and an equally bright, pristine look. But Lee still lacks the writing
and directorial smarts, plus sense of rhythm, to fully realize her
outre ideas onscreen. Released in Taiwan and China in September, this
is squarely for young Asian distaffers and Sinophile events.
Neat
freak Gigi (Terri Kwan), who changes boyfriends almost as quickly as
she changes her underwear, and depressive Marlene (Yu Nan), who pines
for her workaholic lover (Lin Yu-lun), both work for a biotech company
that manufactures character-changing pills. One day, to snag a slobby
guy (Peter Ho) she fancies, Gigi decides to take some untested pills,
which causes all kinds of chaos. Meanwhile, Marlene is romanced by her
landlord's son, handyman Teddy (Eddie Peng).
Bubbly and sexy, Kwan ("The Heirloom")
nails the fast, loopy tone the pic needs, and gets good support from
most of the cast. However, Yu, more adept at drama ("Tuya's Marriage"),
seems miscast, dragging the picture down and not creating any special
chemistry with Kwan. Though pic is set in a deliberately nonspecific,
clinically neat Anytown, China, the prevailing mood and humor are very
Taiwanese, making Yu (the sole Mainlander among the leads) further seem
like a square peg in a round hole.
Film isn't about pill
addiction, per se, but rather about people needing to accept each
others' foibles and not pretend to be something they're not. Theme only
hovers into view in the latter stages, which also veer off into goofy
f/x.
Tech package is largely good, with sharp lensing by Ching
Ting-chang and effective use of scarily neat, toy-townish locations in
Xiamen. Score by Danny Liang, however, is vamp-'til-ready bland.
Camera (color), Ching Ting-chang; editor, 
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