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Cast:
Daniel
Chan
Gigi
Leung
Wong
Wai Man
Ricky
Hui
Stephen
Fung
Producer:
Shu
Kei
Director:
Joe
Ma
Score:
 
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FIRST
LOVE UNLIMITED
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1997 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Hong
(Chan) is stuck in a school that has little appreciation for
him, though the feeling is mutual. As it is a Band 5 school
and therefore seen as education for the deprived, the hopes
and dreams he has are of little consequence. Around him is his
poor but loving family and supportive best friend. An ordinary
life is injected with romance when Hong meets Tap (Leung), a
popular pupil at one of Hong Kong's most prestigious schools.
The pair share a few romantic dates together and slowly fall
in love with each other. However, it isn't long before the
issue of money and status are brought into the relationship
and pressure is exerted from both sides of the couple's
supporters. Tap's mother is a highly respected businesswoman
who is accustomed to receiving the best and sees Hong as a
less than adequate boyfriend for her daughter. Added pressure
comes from one of Tap's rich admirers (Fung) who begins to
uncover the truth about Hong and happily tell her mother.
Nonetheless, with help from his father (Hui) and best friend,
Hong is determined to win the heart of the girl he loves and
pacify his mother at the same time.
Joe
Ma is well versed in directing romantic dramas or comedies. In
the past decade he has contributed to Hong Kong cinema with
some of its biggest hits within the genre. With 'First Love
Unlimited', Ma tackles the well trodden path of the rich
girl-poor boy romance and its various problems. As with so
many other films that share this idea, 'First Love Unlimited'
is a lightweight production that doesn't tackle the subject
with much insight. Having said this, it is intended as pure
entertainment and with this in mind, it succeeds to a certain
extent. The main problem of the film is the lack of
development for the romance; the actual feelings between the
two lacks genuine heart and therefore undermines any
chemistry. The necessary opposition for the couple to face is
also weak and doesn't really offer the drama that would have
made 'First Love Unlimited' a big success. Whatever faults it
has though, it still retains a solid entertainment value. Some
of the background characters, particularly Ricky Hui's role as
Hong's father, add a fresh quality to the film. It may be an
inferior mix of 'Pretty In Pink' and 'Some Kind Of Wonderful',
but it's certainly not a waste of time.
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