I've always had kind of a love hate relationship with Chinese historical BLs. Some are genuinely excellent, but then there are others that cram in so much plot that keeping track of all the layers of betrayal and scheming gets exhausting, and I end up checking out mentally. Part of the issue is also just how much content is out there in this space, so something really has to stand out to keep me hooked. In this case, the production value is genuinely impressive, top tier stuff, but story wise, I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about these characters. There's a ton of political scheming and backstage manipulation running throughout. Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, a hostage ends up falling for his own Prince Charming. The show runs eight episodes, each around 50 to 60 minutes long. After spending three years guarding the border, Fifth Prince Yin Qi gets called back to the capital because of a secret letter, only to end up walking straight into a deadly...
What if gay guys were tough? What if mafia bosses were warm and cuddly? What if loving parents were also hardcore off-the-grid anarchists? And what if they all came together in a nutty climax where hilarity would inevitably ensue? The screenplay of this film encompasses all these elements and make a very entertaining comic film that keeps you engrossed throughout. Meet Danny and Stephen, a dapper couple who share a palatial New York townhouse which they pay for by working as enforcers for Victor Patrizzi, a charming mafia boss. The strong but sweet-natured duo is thrown into a tizzy when they find out Stephen’s parents are coming for a visit. And its not because they are gay (which the parents know). They don't know what the couple really do for a living and they have been made to believe that the two run a catering business and want to enlist their help in throwing Dad a 60th birthday party. The guys quickly get busy hiding their guns and ammo in laundry hampers. Meanwhile, Victor is concerned that his two sons, one a budding chef and the other a wannabe interior decorator, don’t quite fit the traditional mafia mold and aren’t cut out to carry on the family business. Also his daughter Jenny has an announcement: she’s just gotten engaged to Damon. In order for Stephen to fool his parents into thinking he’s a caterer, he has to pull together a massive dinner party with everyone's help. The fat Soprano-like underbosses in Patrizzi’s crew are hired as waiters who get training into how to act gay (hilarious), Patrizzi's acts as Stephen's employee but everyone wants to help the couple since they are so very nice to everyone. Eventually the dinner party takes place with food and decoration supplied by Patrizzi’s effete sons, but it’s interrupted when Damon’s crazy anarchist parents and their crew bust in with machine guns to take the guests hostage and by doing so somehow bring down the federal government. Danny and Stephen have to handle the situation so truth about them ultimately comes out which is surprisingly not too shocking to the parents and others.
Many think that the film is stereotypical and all that but I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was short and sweet and nice. The handsome duo of Stephen and Danny was nice although they didn't look gay from any angle which is also addressed by a statement when they wonder have they been very tough just to compensate for being gay. Everyone acts very well. Patrizzi's sons, his wife trying to raise her son's image in her husband's eyes is hilarious. Various other scenes stand out. Towards the dinner scene, the film gets a little hocus-pocus but still keep you entertained. Damon's parents angle was probably not needed at all. The film could have been a little different from that perspective.
Still enjoyable and keeps you entertained. Now how can that harm you. (7/10)
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