Macho sports-movie tropes meet with bright chick-flick framing to curious effect in "YOLO," either an ostensible boxing drama that doesn't pick up the gloves until the third act, or a misfit romcom that takes a late and unusual turn toward transformational self-help territory. Chinese audiences have been delighted by either formulation, as Jia Ling's second feature as director-star — following 2021's popular time-travel comedy "Hi, Mom" — has racked up the year's second-highest global gross so far, mostly on the...
Jia
Ling
Going into February 2021’s Chinese New Year holiday, few imagined that “Hi, Mom” — a feature from first-time director Jia with a relatively unknown cast — would become one of the world’s biggest dark-horse hits of the year. Even main backer Beijing Culture bet against it, selling off most of its stake in the reportedly $62 million-budgeted project. But the hilarious tear-jerker about Jia traveling back in time to befriend her deceased mother warmed enough hearts to surpass all expectations, earning more than $800 million in an extended three-month run in China that surpassed Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” to make Jia the world’s highest-grossing female director for a single film. Expect much to come from her prodco Big Bowl in the future.