Fool for Love
Để Mai tính
Directed byCharlie Nguyễn
Written byDustin Nguyễn
Produced byDustin Nguyễn
Irene Trịnh
StarringDustin Nguyen
Kathy Uyen
Thái Hòa
Charlie Nguyen
Bùi Văn Hải
Maryline Tâm Võ
CinematographyDominic Pereira
Edited byCharlie Nguyễn
Ham Tran
Thắng Vũ
Music byChristopher Wong
Production
company
Wonderboy Entertainment
Distributed byEarlyRisers Media Group
Release date
April 23, 2010 (2010-04-23)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryVietnam
LanguageVietnamese
Box office18 billion VND[1]

Fool for Love (Vietnamese: Để Mai tính) is a romantic comedy film directed by Charlie Nguyễn released in 2010. It tells the story of Dung (Vietnamese: Dũng) (Dustin Nguyễn), a laid back employee at a 5-star hotel who is interested in Mai (Kathy Uyên), a Vietnamese American aspiring singer. He is hired by Hoi (Thái Hòa) as a personal assistant, which allows him to go to Nha Trang to pursue Mai.

In 2014, a spin-off film De Mai Tinh 2: Let Hoi Decide was released, focusing on Hoi.

Plot

Dung (Dustin Nguyễn) is low-level employee at a hotel who is kind to those around him and a hopeless romantic. Mai (played by Kathy Uyen) is an Overseas Vietnamese lounge singer searching for her break. When they have a chance meeting, Mai is charmed by Dung's ability to quickly solve situations with cleverness and a smile. Dung is dismayed to find out that Mai is being pursued by a wealthy businessman named Antoine (Charlie Nguyen), who has offered Mai assistance with her singing career in exchange for a romantic relationship.

Dung meets Hoi, a wealthy, gay businessman, and accepts an offer to be a well-paid personal assistant in the hopes of gaining enough money to convince Mai to reconsider. Dung agrees to accompany Hoi to Nha Trang, knowing Mai would be performing there and with the hope he can feign wealth with Hoi's gifts and property. Meanwhile, Hoi pushes the boundaries of his arrangement with Dung, hoping to start their own romantic relationship.[2]

Cast

  • Dustin Nguyễn as Dũng
  • Kathy Uyen as Mai
  • Thái Hòa as Hội
  • Charlie Nguyen as Antoine
  • Bùi Văn Hải as Minh
  • Maryline Tâm Võ as Ánh
  • Annie Huỳnh Anh as Vân
  • Leon Lê as Sơn
  • Trần Trung Lĩnh as Trí
  • Đào Duy Tân as Thành
  • Bình Minh as Trợ lý của Antoine
  • Johnny Trí Nguyễn as Johnny
  • Nguyễn Hậu as Thuyền trưởng
  • Ngụy Thanh Lan as Thư ký
  • Trương Thế Vinh as Bar Owner
  • Dominic Pereira as Hotel Customer
  • Tuyền Mập as Women in the Restroom

Production

The movie was filmed in Vietnam, and would be the first big budget movie directed by an Overseas Vietnamese director.[3] The movie is thought to be one of the first films in a new wave of glossy, mainstream Vietnamese cinema.[4]

Release

The film was released in Vietnam on April 23, 2010.[5] The movie was released to theaters in the United States on September 10, 2011.[2] After its summer run, it would stand as Vietnam's biggest box office hit for a movie officially produced in Vietnam,[6] grossing 18 billion VND.[1]

Reception

Thủy Linh from Thanh Nien commended the summer release for its lighthearted comedy and allowing the audience to have uncomplicated laughs.[7] Jade Hidle for DVAN remarked on the movie's depiction of a modern Vietnam, forgoing references to the country's past, "the film allowed me to experience a welcomed sense of relief that positive movies can be made about and in Việt Nam."[2]

Depiction of Sexual Orientation

In their review for Thanh Nien, Thuy Linh commended Thai Hoa for portraying his gay character as motivated by love as much as the other characters.[7] Nguyen Tan Hoang for Korientation saw the character of Hoi as part of a burgeoning trope, in which Vietnamese cinema depicted gay characters as "affluent, cosmopolitan, and modern, these characters’ bóng eroticism is painted as contagious, addictive, and morally corrupt."[8] Lee Ngo for DVAN asked "Is Thai Hoa’s Hoi an offensive caricature of subjectivity, or is he simply a character who should be lauded for his courageous self-expression?"[6] In Nguyen Tan Hoang's 2018 article "Fooled by Love: Việt Kiều Intimacy in Charlie Nguyen’s Để Mai Tính(2010), they argue that the depiction of Hoi as queer and as an Overseas Vietnamese is inextricably linked in the character's portrayal.[9]

Sequels

In 2014, Thai Hoa reprised his Hoi character in De Mai Tinh 2: Let Hoi Decide

References

  1. 1 2 Thịnh, Trọng (September 23, 2010). "Thành công không cần đợi Tết". Báo điện tử Tiền Phong (in Vietnamese). Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Charlie Nguyen - Fool for Love - romantic comedy". DVAN. September 11, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Dàn sao 'Để Mai tính' sau 10 năm". vnexpress.net (in Vietnamese). May 4, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Vì sao ngày càng có nhiều phim Việt cầu cứu khán giả mua vé?". thoisuvtv.info (in Vietnamese). Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  5. ↑ "FOOL FOR LOVE (2010)". Asian Film (in Latin). March 17, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Political sexuality - Để Mai Tính - Fool for Love". DVAN (in Latin). Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. 1 2 ""Để Mai tính", vui và trong sáng!". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). April 30, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Bóng Eroticism in Queer Vietnamese Cinema by Nguyen Tan Hoang". korientation e.V. September 23, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  9. ↑ Hoang, Nguyen Tan (March 15, 2018). "Fooled by Love: Việt Kiều Intimacy in Charlie Nguyen'sĐể Mai Tính(2010)". Visual Anthropology. Informa UK Limited. 31 (1–2): 116–148. doi:10.1080/08949468.2018.1428017. ISSN 0894-9468. S2CID 149696858.
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