Showing posts with label The Half of It (Bonus Movie) 4.5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Half of It (Bonus Movie) 4.5. Show all posts

15 May 2020

Bonus Movie Review: The Half of It (2020) 4.5

I wanted to take a bit of a Hyun Bin break so I decided to check out some new stuff on Netflix. I've read good reviews about The Half of It, written and directed by Alice Wu. I previously watched an Alice Chu film, Saving Face, and I liked it. 


Story


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Half_of_It#Cast


The film is about Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) who is a diligent student and is a very good writer. Her classmates pay her to ghost write their school papers (something her English teacher tolerates). She has a neighbor, Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer), who is madly in love with Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). Aster is really pretty although she already has a boyfriend. Paul is not good with words so he asks Ellie to ghost write his love letters to Aster. Ellie goes beyond the call of duty and even takes care of Paul's text/chat messages to Aster. Aster's confused because Paul really seems so good with words in his letters and chats but he's totally different in person. But just the same, Aster falls for Paul. Things get complicated when Ellie falls for Aster as well and gets even more complicated when Paul realizes that he likes Ellie too. Nobody ended up together but Ellie was able to kiss Aster and I guess that's a good enough hopeful ending for us. 


Cast/Characters and Music


I liked the casting of this movie. Leah Lewis was perfect as your typical smart Asian student. Alexxis Lemiere was really stunning. And Daniel Diemer and the guy who played Aster's boyfriend were perfect dumb jocks. Even Ellie's dad played the Asian dad role really well. 


Music was appropriately used here too. Admittedly though, I could not hear it that well because I had to keep the volume down so as not to wake up my sleeping little boy. But I loved how they used If You Leave Me Now in the pond scene between Ellie and Aster. I could feel how the words fit Ellie perfectly... 


We've come too far to leave it all behind
How could we end it all this way?


She was probably so invested in Aster already after all the letters and messages they exchanged that she could not just stop and let things slip away. 


Quotable Quotes


The story was simple but it was presented really well. Quite refreshing after all the K dramas I've watched the past few weeks. I enjoyed the quotes on love. They were all so apt. 


'Love isn't patient, and kind, and humble. Love is messy, and horrible, and selfish, and bold. It's not finding your perfect half. It's the trying, and reaching, and failing. Love is being willing to ruin your good painting for the chance at a great one.' - Ellie Chu


Because really, love is very messy. The Bible definition is ideal. But real life will tell you otherwise. And truth is, it's quite impossible to find that perfect half for you. Love is about failing numerous times yet deciding to continue trying and reaching despite your failures. 


And indeed, love could mean hurting other people in the process and sacrificing things but you do it anyway because there's that teeny-weeny chance that this person is the one for you and will prove to be a much greater love for you. 


'I always thought that there was one way to love. One right way. But there are more. So many more than I knew. I never want to be the guy who stops loving someone for loving the way that they want to love.' - Paul Munsky


And yes, love is love no matter what form it takes. I can only hope and pray that everyone will learn to respect that. :)


Noona says...it's a 4.5.