Sadly Over-hyped

Better Late Then Never

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Why do I love Asian cinema? because the continent seems to be the biggest place in the world where people are in love with film. they break the rules they break the bounds and they make things that nobody else is doing.A musical of sorts, this is the story of an actor who once wanted to be a director, an actress who once loved the actor but now is now involved with her director, and the director who loves the actress even though he knows she may leave him. They are all making a musical film which in movie tradition parallels the triangle that exists in real life.. Its an often jaw dropping, eye popping emotional film. To be sure it doesn't always make complete sense, partly because the frame work confuses things a bit too much, and partly because I don't think all of the elements are there, but at the same time the music, the images and the emotion just carry you along. Many people here on IMDb compare it to Moulin Rouge but I don't think thats fair since this film really only compares to that film in that they are musicals. This is a movie musical that knows what it is and knows how to use the conventions of movies and musicals to great effect.Honestly I'll have to watch it again to determine how much I like it- and yet at the same time I want to go out and show it to people. I want to show it to people and explain- you want to know why I love movies here watch this or If you want to know what a movie is suppose to be watch this. Its magical- from the opening narration about how we are all the directors of our lives- to the final fade out this is pure movie magic.If you love movie or musicals you do want to see this....

This movie is a stunning masterpiece that showcases a whole new versatility for Asian Cinema. It takes the brash exuberance of Moulin Rouge, the musical-bizaro world of Cirque du Soleil, the color palate of Amelie and ratchets up the imagery and the volume to achieve new heights in cinematography. Farah Kahn leaps to the top of the list of my favorite choreographers of this new century. Easily some of the smoothest vocalists of China's pop and ballad scene have been assembled plus a handful of triple-threat actors weigh in to truly pull off this brave work. This is a beautiful film and my favorite foreign film of the new year.

Rather than calling "Perhaps love" a musical, it is better to call it a love story with musical elements. As far as that goes, the song and dance sequences are satisfying, although not elating.Like many that came before it (including Truffaut's "Day for night"), "Perhaps Love" is structured as a movie about making a movie. It manipulates the situation to its fullest by having the story in the movie that is being made replicate almost exactly the story of the people making it – the director, male and female leads, in an all-too-familiar perpetual triangle. Crisp cutting traversing the three dimensions – the making of the movie (the present), flashbacks (the past) and the story within the movie being made (the allegory) – creates a fascinating kaleidoscope of lavish beauty from which emotions flare.Kaneshiro Takeshi and Zhou Xun, playing two top stars that shared a past that one tries to forget with icy resolution while the other clings on to with fiery desperation, work together splendidly to bring life to an often-told tale. Jacky Cheung cuts quite a powerful "Phantom" figure playing the director who brought the actress to fame and fortune. Ji Jin-hee is comfortable in a role of the muse in Tales of Hoffman, but appearing in many guises.The use of the trapeze in the grand finale is a clever move, bringing to mind quite a few classic movies with the circus as background. The mellowed ending lifts this movie one notch above conventional romance melodramas, sending the audience away with reflections on the protagonists' as well as their own fleeting passage through life.

I like the actors and actress, the set design, the costumes, the songs and dancing. The frames are beautiful. I like the photography, the angles were special. I feel the characters are like communicating with the viewers directly, in a good way - it's the point of view I guess. The dancing segments are wonderful. I particularly like the dancing in the lanes of old Shanghai (the Shanghai Studio Backlots), those street girls, and the wondering Kaneshiro... It's fantastic. A first-class musical scene and performance and design.However, I don't think it's a real musical. Maybe it's not good to judge a film from genres, but it would have felt much better if there were more dancing and singing scenes. The story is perfect for a musical, I mean, simple, melancholy, dramatic. There are simply not enough musical scenes. And it seems to me the girl should dominate the singing, and also Takeshi Kaneshiro. But it seems to me Jacky Cheung is the one who really sings and sings the most - he is a superb singer, but...And the story - I don't think it's organized as a commercial film, but this is obviously a 'commercial-style' of a film. I imagine it would be more enjoyable if the story were told in a clearer way, especially at the beginning, and were told more like a musical with more dancing and singing. So when the viewers walk out of the cinema, their mind still enjoys the visual beauty of the stage and dance, the lingering music and songs, and then feel a bit melancholy of the story - the enjoyment of cinema..Still, I like the film. I've never seen a better Chinese musical.