Jian Bing Man is a happy little comedy of a classic form. Chengpeng Dong is on the top of the world, smug and foolish in his success. He takes a spill to the bottom and works his way back, learning who he is and what is important in the process. In this case, he's a film star, famous for playing one character. He takes a bribe from a gangster to star the gangster's girlfriend in his next movie. Within ten minutes, the money disappears, as do his film career and hangers-on. He still owes the gangster, so he has to make a movie from a ridiculous script he wrote as a child and with people anxious to get into films.
It's a good setup for comic humiliation and no punches are pulled. Yet in the mix, I came to care very much about these characters as they came into focus and grew. While there is nothing in this film that is startlingly original, the details are put together in an engaging fashion, and that is enough to make it a superior comedy.
It's a good setup for comic humiliation and no punches are pulled. Yet in the mix, I came to care very much about these characters as they came into focus and grew. While there is nothing in this film that is startlingly original, the details are put together in an engaging fashion, and that is enough to make it a superior comedy.
