Went in with zero expectations, but this charming old comedy turned out to be a genuinely fun ride. Combining gay characters, a pride parade, and a heist plot in one movie sounds like a recipe that could easily fall apart, but when it's pulled off right, like it is here, you end up with something that feels satisfying and delivers exactly the kind of simple entertainment it promises. The setting is Chez Nouz, a gay cafe tucked into the heart of Amsterdam, run by an older guy named Adje who acts as a stand in father figure for Bertie, the bar's main drag performer, a guy who never actually knew his real dad and has spent years fantasizing that he might secretly be the son of some famous Dutch singer. Their little makeshift family also includes Babette, the straight waitress, and Rachid, a regular who Adje took under his wing and gave a room to after his own family kicked him out for being gay. The bar's other regulars include Peter-Jan, a good looking gay lawyer, and Gijs, a...
Yang is a Chinese immigrant in Thailand and years to open a grocery store which was his father's dream, but it turns out that he needs a Thai citizen to be his business partner. Enter Phumjai, a young aimless man, who spends most of his time crushing on Tammy, a Chinese origin social media influencer in Thailand. His bother gives him a very hard time for not doing anything in his life. They both have an accidental encounter where Yang and Phumjai have a few catfights of sorts, but destiny brings them together and they end up being business partners. Phumjai agrees in return that Yang will teach him Chinese so that he can court Tammy. The grocery store opens and somehow with the help of Yang and his helping with Chinese Phumjai manages to get Tammy on a date. He asks Yang to do a dummy date with him so that he knows what to expect. That day goes so well that on his actual date with Tammy, Phumjai can only think about Yang. When he confesses that to him, Yang refuses to acknowledge his feelings to Phumjai breaking his heart, despite clearly liking him. We later find out that Yang's family in under a huge debt and they are all hiding and he doesn't want to put Phumjai's life in danger. Eventually the lovers are able to mend their different and are a couple and come out friends and family. But the debt collectors catch wind of Yang. How Phumjai, his brother and his friends come together to get Yang out of this mess forms the rest of the story. In parallel, we also have a side love story of Phumjai's brother with a friend of his.
The firstling that you notice while watching the show is the infectious boisterous charm and energy that Phumjai brings to the show. The actor is really good and the role allows him to be bright and cheerful as his infectious enthusiasm radiates in every scene. Similarly actor playing Yang also embodies his character traits well. He portrays Yang's sadness and sensitivity authentically, like they are natural emotions from his inner core. The first episode where the two meet, have catfights, the quirky circumstances and eventually get into a business together are both charming and funny. I love how Phumjai constantly keeps nagging for Chinese help to court Tammy. Although you do have to ignore how the series neglects the practical logistics of running a store, but that's irrelevant I guess. Similarly the whole last two episodes of Yang getting kidnapped by money collectors and how the team gets together to rescue him seem amateurish but still acceptable. Eventually they both learn valuable lessons emphasizing their character growth The show derails a few times when the mandatory misunderstandings and heartaches come into the picture, but other than that thanks to the exuding chemistry that the leads share, their flirting etc all feel charming and less annoying. The supermarket make out scene is legendary as are the morning after reactions and explanations. They complement each other with their charm instead of outshining their costars. Even the supporting characters working in the store have thankfully not been stereotyped. My biggest grip would be product placements right from grocery store, to bread to skincare to ramen.
I kept my expectations low and despite its flaws, and thanks to the charming leading couple, this series turned out to be much better and enjoyable. (7/10)
Comments
Gave me interesting thoughts about being star struck or having a crush on a celebrity in 2023. Back in the time when I was younger, the grass was greener and the dinosaurs walked freely in the Old Town, the "star" meant someone from the big screen or stage, someone who sold out stadiums or concert halls or brought thousands of people to the cinemas all over the world. The local musicians or actors kinda didn't manage to create such crush, I don't know what's wrong with them :D The "star" back then remained up high, out of reach, read-only. But nowadays when the influencers on social media are also considered to be star(let)s, things can go further, like in this series here.
I actually love such small grocery stores that don't belong to any large chain. There's not many of those in Estonia, but one is really close to my home and it feels really good to have it there. Has been handy in quite many emergencies when I need just one thing really fast and there's no time to go to the supermarket.
Even though there were a few wtf-s and a lot of brand placements (I feel you, I was cringing with you this time) and the cliché-filled last two episodes, this series was way above average. Maybe it was the 8 episodes instead of the traditional 12, indeed... it didn't feel too stretched and that's already good :)
P.S! The morning-after scene opened a rabbit hole for me :D