Jia Ba Ba

I just finished watching the Chinese movie "Fake Dad", directed by Jia Bing, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The plot follows Yang Haoliang, a once-famous singer, who stumbles upon someone using his identity to perform instead of the famous singer. His son didn't believe him but one day sees the fraudster performing live on stage... that is when his mission to uncover the truth starts. Along the way, Yang Shiyue ends up teaming up with his father's impersonator... his father's brain tumor operation costs 300,000 yuen and he has no other way to collect them but to become the imposter's "manager" for 80% of the fee!

While the premise is somewhat fresh and has potential, especially since identity theft is a common theme in films, the twists felt pretty predictable, and the storytelling often seemed scattered.

Jia Bing's portrayal of Yang Haoliang lacks depth, making his motivations feel unclear. Yin Zheng, who plays Yang Shiyue, goes a bit overboard with his performance, missing that subtlety. Their father-son dynamic doesn't quite hit the mark, which weakens the film's main message. The standout performance came from Ni Hongjie as Zhao Xiaoping; she really shone in her limited screen time.

On a technical level, despite the vibrant colors and decent cinematography, the film ends up being just average.