Sausalito

Set in San Francisco during the recently heady days of the internet boom, this love story reunites $$ID=Leon Lai$$ and Maggie Cheung in their first onscreen pairing after the successful "Comrades, Almost A Love Story". Leon plays Mike, a wealthy web designer and netpreneur, who meets Ellen ($$ID=Maggie Cheung$$), divorced cab driver and mother with a penchant for urban art. The unlikely couple have a one night stand - involving a steamy romp in the unlikeliest of places - Ellen's cab. They fall in love in spite of their obvious differences. However, Ellen's caring and protective character becomes too overbearing for the individualistic Mike, causing their relationship to fall apart after much mutual hurt. It eventually takes divine (perhaps catastrophic) intervention - in the form of an earthquake in San Francisco - to rekindle their innate "love at first sight" (the film's Chinese title).

This is a stylish film about adult love. Both leads no longer play young idols but rather roles more in keeping with their true ages. Maggie Cheung is in full form as Ellen the mother figure/lover to Leon Lai's somewhat spoilt man-child, a role that departs from his usual selfless Chinese matinee idol portrayals (read "&&ID=V1082||Name=Comrades, Almost A Love Story&&" and "&&ID=V1079||Name=City Of Glass&&"). She embodies the fundamental qualities of a stoical, artistic, vulnerable single mother almost the polar opposite to his superficial good looks and wealth (not to forget his Nasdaq enamored tech-talent in keeping with HK's current fascination with technology). Richard Ng is credible as Mike's gay landlord in what is perhaps a misplaced politically (in)correct attempt at acknowledging the film's location of San Francisco.

Director/Cinematographer $$ID=Andrew Lau$$, a former Wong Kar Wai cohort imbues this otherwise mainstream film with stylish arty takes, which successfully capture Maggie at her stellar best. While not as sweetly endearing as "Comrades, Almost A Love Story", viewers with an open mind will be pleasantly surprised by this romantic tale (the pre-release raunchy publicity shots notwithstanding).