Home Run (2008) Movie Review

Despite its title, “Home Run” is not a film about baseball, but about urban living and relationships in modern urban China. The Mainland-Hong Kong co-production was directed by Fan Gang Liang, whose first outing “The Story of Xiao-Yan” won a slew of accolades, including Best Directorial Debut and Best Film for Children at the 2004 Golden Rooster Awards. Here, he again follows the story of a plucky youngster, this time to explore themes of changes in Chinese society, more specifically the way in which the increasingly intrusive media has come to dominate people’s lives, and how families are starting to take second place to careers.

The film stars gorgeous actress Fan Bingbing (recently in the controversial “Lost in Beijing”) as Li, the host of a television reality show called ‘Home Run’ which boasts the odd premise of dumping a child in the middle of the city and seeing if he can find his way back home. After her ratings drop and she finds herself in desperate need for a new star for her show, she grabs the only child she knows, five year old Lu (played by Zou Yanwen), a rather cocky young boy who soon starts causing trouble by acting up for the cameras. More drama inevitably arises since Li neglects to tell Lu’s father (popular Hong Kong actor Chapman To, “Infernal Affairs”) that she has his child, leaving him to find out when he spots the show on television. The whole nation is gripped by the unfolding story, not least since it emerges that Lu may in fact be far more to Li than a way to boost her flagging career.

After a slow, rather scattershot start, and some awkward early scenes that suggest the viewer is in for little more than another cute kid comedy, “Home Run” finds its feet and turns out to be surprisingly clever and well put together. The film is genuinely funny throughout, with a pleasing mixture of basic slapstick (mainly from Chapman To, who turns in an oddly bumbling performance) and more biting humour. Seen in part from Lu’s point of view, there are a good number of misunderstandings and embarrassing moments, though thanks to a solid performance from child actor Zou Yanwen they come off for the most part as being charming rather than annoying. Fan gets good comic mileage from having sociologists and such on the show try to analyse his behaviour and to draw conclusions about society from his actions – not particularly easy since these include dropping his pants and waving his rear at the camera, and grabbing the breasts of a supposedly blind woman.

More interestingly, the film also works as a humorous though scathing satire on the media, depicting how reality shows distort and manipulate events, and bemoaning their invasions of privacy and demeaning antics. Fan does explore these issues in some depth and with a good degree of success, though it is hard not to harbour a sneaking suspicion that the viewer is being manipulated every bit as much as the viewer’s of Li’s show, especially towards the end when things turn somewhat melodramatic. Li’s obsession with her career and her willingness to use people come under close scrutiny, though she remains a human figure who the viewer does feel sympathy for. Thankfully, although Fan does deliver a message extolling family values, he avoids the obvious route and does not bring things to an easy conclusion – though as with most Mainland outings there is a certain judgemental aspect to its final act.

Films which deal with reality television tend to run the risk of resembling their subject matter a little too much, though Fan ensures that the proceedings retain a cinematic air. Although there is a fair amount of handheld camera work and such, he does not rely upon the switching of mediums as a gimmick, and never allows it to distract from the story. The film makes good use of the Chinese urban landscape, giving a pleasing sense of place and effectively depicting the impersonal hustle and bustle of modern life central to its themes.

“Home Run” is in many ways an unexpected film, and is far better than its initial premise and early scenes might suggest. Although Chinese productions dealing with urban angst are becoming increasingly common, Fan manages to pull off the tricky balancing act of making his film both entertaining and thought-provoking, and as such it stands out from the crowd and makes for very enjoyable viewing.

Gangliang Fang (director) / Gangliang Fang (screenplay)
CAST: Fan Bing-Bing, Chapman To, Zou Yan Wen