Shanghai Calling

This film is about a young American lawyer whose employers send him to Shanghai to represent the firm in China.

There are at least three intertwining plots. Of these, the most touching and sweet romance occurs between two Chinese people.

There are several important characters. Of these, the most forceful is not a person, but a city: Shanghai, with its Chinese culture and lightning-fast business environment.

The story is simple: the old fish-out-of-water struggles of a confident person struggling in a new environment. The viewer doesn't learn much about the backgrounds of the two romantic leads who can speak fluent English to each other. It doesn't matter, because they are both adrift and recognize each other as they drift. That process is romantic.

Daniel Henney is so attractive, its hard to imagine that he would not already be a serious relationship back in the States. The same could be said of Eliza Coupe, whom he meets his first day in Shanghai.

Hijinks ensue, but the subdued kind. The Chinese kind. Romance ensues, but the subdued kind. The Chinese and American kind.

Worth watching, more than once.