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...
Dom and Cole are a married gay couple looking to adopt a baby. While making videos about themselves, they are still waiting to get picked up by a potential mother. For their upcoming anniversary, they decide to take a Roman holiday, which would also double as their baby moon, give they are at very last stages. The dup have some anxieties about parenthood, but nothing different from anyone else. For their anniversary night, Dom's father's closest friend who is Italian has booked them into a dinner experience at some really popular chef in rural Italy. Meanwhile, the prospective mother chooses them as the kids parents and they are both happy. But trouble is following this couple very closely. Not many people speak English in rural area and their car gets struck in mud on their way. It starts to rain and finally they get some help and are dropped off at this old lady's home. She doesn't speak English but she managed to feed them with her speaking in Italian and them in English. The power goes off on the rainy night and they accidentally trip over the old lady killing her. Unsure of what/how to do, they debate to run away, only to have her son suddenly appear. When he finds out hey are going to be come fathers, more confusion follows the couple ends up killing the son too mistakenly and then the son's girlfriend. They manage to escape and go back to US, in time to welcome their child, while questioning their own relationship foundation and are they ready to be parents.
The film is a silly comedy about fears. Sadly, these days there are very few comedies that actually make me laugh. This one felt more like cringe. During their nightmarish trip, they must decide if a life together is really what they want. Of course, it all gets a bit ridiculous when the Americans’ bumbling causes the bodies to pile up. The film morphs into a blood-drenched slapstick, complete with bone-crunching antics and miscommunication induced by language barriers. I had no idea where is it that the film eventually was trying to go. While talks of adoption is happening, the film gets into this warm and tender zone and then few minutes later into this over-the-top murder situations, which was not very smooth. I didn't care much for the actors. They were fine but lacked the charm to pull off the goofiness, plus did anyone else think that they lacked any chemistry at all. While their self-absorption and survivalism at any cost make Dom and Cole kind of reprehensible people, the actors offset all that with a sweetness that renders it possible to believe they’ll also make loving dads. The film otherwise, is a series of silly events happening in life of a gay couple that get progressively ridiculous and bloodier on a Roman Holiday. (4/10)
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