Movie

Be There or Be Square

1998 · 103 min

A warm, wry romantic comedy that finds humor and heart in the misadventures of two immigrants fumbling toward love.

Overview: The story of two Chinese immigrants' struggles in America. Yuan Liu has lived in LA for years. He has no stable job, no family and lives in a wagon. He seems content with his life until the day he meets Qing Li, a woman with the big "American dream".
How it feels: Warm, light, romantic and cynical. Measured and needs your attention.
About: Love, identity, immigration, family
Content: Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Feng Xiaogang's Trilogy of New Year's Comedies

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Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown

Tone: warmstrength 2 of 3
lightstrength 2 of 3
romanticstrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: love
identity
immigration
family
class
Places: big city
workplace
road trip
Era: contemporary
Audience: teen
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild