The innocuous teen romance “Love in Taipei” is a sweet young adult story that will appeal to those seeking a cute little fluff of a movie. It’s predictable, bland, and may lack substance, but this coming of age story about finding your cultural identity is one that will speak to teenagers who are struggling to find their place in the world.
Based on the New York Times bestseller “Loveboat, Taipei” by Abigail Hing, the film tells the story of Ever Wong (Ashley Liao), a young woman who is sent by her parents to a cultural immersion program in Taiwan. The goal is to have Ever stay rooted in her family’s heritage and cultural origins, especially since she quips that she “grew up around only three Asian kids.” When Ever arrives overseas, the summer school turns out to be a free-for-all, liberating place nicknamed “Loveboat,” where there’s a lot of hooking up and an endless supply of super cute boys looking for a fling.
Yes, this is a teenager’s dream scenario, and young adults will love this cinematic retelling. It’s a “Dawson’s Creek” style fantasy for 13 to 19 year olds, with adorable boys all vying for Ever’s attention. The smooth and confident hunks, all with pristine hair, a keen fashion sense, and a laughably sophisticated vocabulary, want to be her boyfriend. It’s a dreamy world of romance and desire that requires a suspension of disbelief if you’re a jaded adult.
The film isn’t all rainbows and unicorns, and the script deals with the very real pressure of cultural expectations and the pain of feeling forced to give up on your dreams. There’s a great deal of honest discussion about the fear of disappointing your parents by choosing to be a chef or a ballerina rather than a career in finance or medicine.
With its target audience, “Love in Taipei” will earn high marks (but others may find it boring and ridiculous). But there is something very universal in its message that celebrates the art of enjoying the moment and the realization that no one has ever learned cultural life lessons in a classroom.
