Hot Summer Days - 全城熱戀熱辣辣

Hot Summer Days (全城熱戀熱辣辣) is 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The movie is an ensemble cast wrapped around 5 stories. These 5 stories have some interlocking events, but the characters do not drive each others stories. The other aspect is that the temperature is HOT. Everyone has sweat dripping down their faces for most of the movie.

The Driver and the Pianist (Jacky Cheung as Wah and Rene Liu as Li Yan)
Wah is a driver living in Hong Kong. Wah has a daughter and his wife left him a year or so ago. Li Yan is a classically trained pianist looking to make ends meat in Shenzhen. Desperate for a job, Li Yan takes a job as a foot masseuse. By chance, Li Yan and Wah start their relationship via SMS. Will these two ever meet? And what will happen when they do?

The Chef and the Writer (Daniel Wu as Sushi Chef Soy Sauce and Vivian Hsu as Wasabi)
Wasabi head into Hong Kong hoping to settle down with Sushi Chef that she nicknamed, Soy Sauce. Soy Sauce and Wasabi ended their relationship in the past predicated that Soy Sauce needed to own his own restaurant. But when Wasabi calls Soy Sauce to task, Soy Sauce is unable to respond. Devastated, Wasabi heads out, but gets into an accident. In parallel, after Wasabi leaves the restaurant, Soy Sauce comes to his senses and starts to look for Wasabi without success. Will Soy Sauce find Wasabi in time before its too late?

The Bikers (Barbie Hsu as Ding Dong and Nicholas Tse as Wai)
Wai is a AC guy. Repairs and used ones are his specialty. Ding Dong is a rebel with a cause and she's strange too, helping those in the hospital fulfill their last wishes. One night, as Wai was heading out on his Vespa, Ding Dong nearly crashes into him. Wai makes chase and eventually catches up. They start a rebel without a cause type relationship. Will they have an happy ending?

The Factory Girl and the Handy Man (Angelababy as Xiao Qi and Jing Bo Ran as Xiao Fang)
Siu Kei makes her daily trip to the factory and passes the shop of handy man Xiao Fang. Xiao Fang and his boss bet his watch that he can get Sui Kei to be his girlfriend. The next morning, Xiao Fang declares to Siu Kei that he wants her to be his girlfriend. Siu Kei declares that if he stand outside her window for 100 days, she will be his girlfriend.

The Photographer (Duan Yihong as Leslie, Fu Xinbo and Da Fu, and Michelle Wai as Yuan Yuan)
Lesile is a famous photographer that treats his models like trash. Da Fu is his assistance and has dreams of being great too. Lesile wakes up one day with his eyesight diminished. It eventually goes all away and he is blind. They suspect Yuan Yuan cursed Lesile with blindness. Lesile and Da Fu set out to look for Yuan Yuan.

There's a certain level of happenstance between all 5 story arcs. But the characters do not bleed into each others stories. There are also many cameos in the movie. From the likes of Gordon Liu, He Zhuoyan, Charlene Choi, Shawn Yue, Fruit Chan, He Zhuoyan, Kate Yeung, and Maggie Cheung.

Ensemble movies like this really bring out a wide range of emotions. In this case, all the cast members are quite famous. So, you may or may not have any preconceived notions about them. Each story had its own character. But the style flowed though it all.

Random thoughts about the movie include:
- Lots and lots of crying
- Lots and lots of sweat
- The dialects were a treat
- Jacky's story was kept cantonese for story purposes
- Angelababy is beautiful
- Maggie Cheung was a welcomed surprise
- I need to make sure my AC works all the time

For all the shortcomings of this movie, I wasn't bothered by it. The cast really kept me engaged. If it were casts with unknowns, I'd prolly wouldn't be so forgiving. If you know the cast, watch it and enjoy it. If you don't, it might