Review of Break Up Club (2010) by Daniel K — 08 Mar 2011

2: There were times while watching this very contemporary Hong Kong romantic comedy that I felt fairly disgusted, but it usually managed to recover. The concept is definitely high concept, as many romantic comedies/comedies are (Bruce Almighty, 13 Going on 30, 17 Again, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Click, etc), but the structure is also somewhat unique, in that it is a film within a film that includes an apparently fictitious director, writer, producer, etc.

both in front of and behind the scenes. However, one wouldn't necessarilly realize this as the film includes fake credits at the outset. It certainly borrows from reality television and gets way too over-the-top and ridiculously melodramatic and sentimental at times, but I always felt like these particularly awful scenes were revisited later and we were allowed to examine them from an emotional distance and poke fun at them a bit.

This was essential, otherwise the film would have gotten at least a half star less. To see the global reach of Hollywood, one need look no father than Break Up Club. It is a perfect example of how similar pictures made all around the world can be.

It makes one wonder what, if any, thought has been put into shaping the manner in which the world relates to the United States by inserting desirable messages and imagery designed to alter the geopolitical landscape.

I suspect very little has been consciously done in this area, but it could be the ultimate DARPA Information Operations project. Maybe I just haven't been read into this program yet.