This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

In an era where Netflix dominates the Hallmarkification of streamers, other studios want to get their hands on that profit. Prime Video did so with Red, White & Royal Blue, and Paramount previously attempted the same type of film with At Midnight, which was a complete and total failure. Now, they try the Hallmark aesthetic again with Love in Taipei, which is much better than I ever imagined it would be, considering that most Hallmark-lite streaming movies seem like parody trailers you’d watch on Saturday Night Live instead of actual movies.

Love in Taipei works because the leads themselves are highly charismatic. Secret Society of Second-Born Royals’ Ashley Liao plays Ever Wong, who travels to Taipei to learn Mandarin at her parent’s request. She quickly meets Sophie (Chelsea Zhang) on the bus ride to the summer school, and the two become friends. Soon, she starts to feel for Rick Woo (Ross Butler), a highly charismatic representation of who Ever’s parents believe is the perfect person after idolizing his magazine profiles. But she also has eyes for the more freeing Xavier Yeh (Nico Hiraga), who introduces himself to Ever by running to the hotel where all students are staying. His run is highly energetic, but it’s also a metaphor for his outlook on life.

Love in Taipei [credit Paramount +]

Ever is then torn into choosing the “perfect” path devised by her parents: learn Mandarin, immerse herself in the culture, and become a doctor while ending up with Rick, or find herself and what she wants to do with Xavier. She also secretly auditions for a dance school, and her Auntie Shu (Cindy Cheung) encourages her to follow her passions. By then, you pretty much know how the film will end: Rick is too good for Ever, while Xavier perfectly represents what she is looking for in love and life. From the moment he runs at the film’s beginning, it’s easy to figure out that the two will end up together, especially when he “secretly” draws pictures of Ever and sends them to her room.

Rick wouldn’t do that because his prestige seems too perfect to impress his wealthy parents, who want stability instead of frivolous aspirations. But Ever unlocks something in him, making it doubtful he will conform to his parents’ status quo. These character arcs are well-developed and handled carefully, with screenwriters Mackenzie Dohr and Charlie Oh giving each protagonist time to shine. Yes, they are based on predictable turns, but it almost doesn’t matter since each actor gives earnest performances and seems to care about the material they’re working with.

Love in Taipei [credit Paramount +]

Liao, in particular, is exceptional and shares great chemistry with Butler and Hiraga, who are equally good. I especially enjoyed Hiraga’s more heartfelt portrayal of Xavier than his usual screwball attempts in films like Booksmart and Rosaline. Still, he does manage to balance out both sensibilities inside one fully-formed arc. It’s great to see fully-developed characters inside the aesthetic of a Hallmark film since it rarely happens. Each character is a usual walking and talking cliché, but here, the story is more clichéd than anything else. The characters make the film an engaging, sometimes amusing, romp that you slowly get invested in their paths, even if you can see everything coming a mile away.

Its aesthetic also teeters the line between traditional Hallmark sensibilities and more refined filmmaking techniques, with many smash zooms utilized to visually represent the feelings Ever has for Rick and Xavier, which has been used thoroughly in many known Chinese comedies, most notably in Police Story and its sequel when actor/writer/director Jackie Chan focuses on the lively and high-spirited relationship between Chan Ka-Kui and May. Director Arvin Chen transposes these dynamic techniques effectively, and even lavish shots of a reception near the film’s end recall the work of Wong Kar-wai. It’s not every day you see this in a movie that attempts to Hallmark itself, but it keeps the viewer engaged until its emotional ending, which made me shed a few tears.

So I liked Love in Taipei. I went into the movie not expecting much but got out of it quite satisfied, especially considering the week I had at the film was more than disappointing. August is usually known as one of the more extensive dumping grounds for movies, and it seems as though studios have moved past January to dump their worst titles in August. The landscape was not magnificent, but I was pleased with how Love in Taipei turned out. Who knows? You might enjoy it too!

Love in Taipei is now available to stream on Paramount+.