Rating: 
Summary: Description from Pressman - opening 5/2002
Review: Happy Times is a small but broad Chinese language comedy about human nature when it comes to love and the pursuit of happiness. Middle-aged Ding Shikou visits a matchmaker to find a wife. Finally, she sends him the perfect one. Desperate to impress her, Ding promises her a far more extravagant wedding than he can afford, leading her to believe he is rich. Then desperate, to make money, Ding refurbishes an abandoned railway car on Lover's Lane and charges admission for young couples wandering by. Up in the woods, he discovers a young blind girl who's just attempted suicide. He saves her life this time only to witness her attempt again. She tells him she wouldn't be so desperate if she had a job, so he offers one at his hotel, in hopes of re-instilling the will to live in her. Ding tells her a tangled and hilarious mess of lies in order to employ her. He even has a group of old retirees create a fake hotel environment in an abandoned factory, so she believes she has a legitimate job. Finally, he must tell her the truth and come clean to his fiancée, which turns out to be both a heartbreaking and hilarious life lesson for all involved. Acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou (Not One Less, Raise the Red Lantern, To Live) will direct the film.
Rating:
Summary: IT IS MY FAVOR
Review: I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SAY,BUT IT IS REALLY GOOD,I LIKE IT VERY MUCH
Rating:
Summary: Zhang Yimou does it again...
Review: I was so happy when I was in Blockbuster last evening and admist all the Hollywood mass-produced "big A-list star" [movies] I was able to find Zhang Yimou's recent import. Once again I was not disappointed. I started watching this, and it was interesting- a look at modern China through Zhang's excellent direction- the old man lying to marry the very coruplent woman...lying about his finances and scheming to make money. So far, nothing special, but I definitley felt like seeing what's next. So the old man goes to the woman's apartment, and she has this equally obese and extremely obnoxious son- and it's a great character portrayal, I'm thinking...when out comes the step sister, Wu Ying, and everything changes. .... she was abandoned by her father, and left with this horrible stepmother who horribly mistreats her and shows how loathsome a human can get...I'm talking complete human refuse. At first the old man ignores Wu Ying since as he's trying desperately to please the horrid stepmother, then gradually gets closer to her in a plot of putting her to work at his fictional hotel to appease the stepmother. All of this middle part is a bit slow, but the payoffs are seeing this beautiful, pathetic, and perhaps the most tragic figure I've come across in cinema for a long time show what appear to be the first smiles she's ever had. The other reviews written here will go into more detail, but all I want to emphasize is that the movie takes a whole different direction the minute Wu Ying appears and steals your heart. She's another one of Zhang's wonderful heroines, who has everything against her, and struggle on, like the teacher who camped outside of the TV station in Beijing in Zhang's "Not One Less," and the pregnant Gong Li's struggle for justice in "The story of Qiu Ju." And as the story progresses, the old man increasingly grows likeable, as his relationship with Wu Ying brings out the best of humanity, and the coruplent worst of humanity stepmother gradually fades from the story. But the ultimate payoff comes in the poetic, shocking, and absolutely devastating ending to the movie...which absolutely overrides any potential flaws in plot and setup of the previous sections of the film. As another reviewer wrote, I was horribly affected as well..and I am still thinking of Wu Ying. If you are an intelligent moviegoer, you will be glued to this film. Rent it, buy it, but by all means, make sure you see it. It is the type of wonderful film with an ending that forces you to think about it long after it's over...I'm looking forward to Zhang's next...
Rating:
Summary: Heart rending
Review: My university's east asian cultures department is showing an east asian movie every friday for a month and this was the first one shown. I finished watching this movie a little over an hour ago, and it still is affecting me.It is about a lonely man named Zhao who is trying for the 18th time to get the perfect wife who he thinks he has found in quite a large woman with an obnoxious son, and a blind step daughter. Zhao tells the woman that he owns a hotel and that he has the money pouring in. What he has in fact is an old bus that young couples frequent to make out in. The woman hates her step daughter and dumps the girl on Zhao. In order to keep up his appearance as a wealthy man he builds a fake massage parlor along with a group of his friends who are also out of work. The girl Mu(?) is happy working with Zhao, but of course things don't stay that way. I loved themain character Zhao from the instant he appeared on the screen he is just a very likeable guy. But one does feel pretty bad for the yung girl who is not wanted by her step mother or her father. She finds olace with a middle age man who keeps her just to put up appearnces. The ending will leave you in tears once you see how Zhao and the girl's relationship grows.
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Summary: Bitter-sweet story
Review: There was a time when I longed to see another Zhang Yimou film. His greatest films, "Raise the Red Lantern," "Shanghai Triad," "Ju-dou," and "Red Sorghum" are--without a doubt--some of the richest cinematic experiences--and I'll stress the word "experiences" that I've EVER had. But something happened to Zhang Yimou, and his artistry--as perhaps one of the greatest directors of all time--waned. Was it perhaps because he lost his muse, Gong Li, star of "Shanghai Triad" and "Raise the Red Lantern"? Many professional reviewers speculate that Gong Li's departure is the cause for Yimou's artistic slump, but regardless of the cause, Yimou seems to be on the rise again with this film "Happy Times." Zhao (Bensahn Zhao), an unemployed, middle-aged lonely factory worker longs for a wife. After being jilted 18 times, he decides to marry an unpleasant, domineering divorcee. While friends scoff at photographs of Zhao's large new fiancee, Zhao defends her rubenesque proportions by stating that the other 18 women left him because they were skinny, and as this fiancee is far from skinny, Zhao believes she will stay put and marry him. Zhao, in order to impress the divorcee, brags that as the manager of the "Happy Times" hotel, he is fairly well-to-do. Problems develop when the divorcee contends that they need 50,000 yen in order to get married in style, and this is when Zhao starts to involve his friends in his relationship. Acting on the advice of his best friend (who also has no money), Zhao refurbishes an abandoned bus as a romantic retreat for lovers with the idea that the lovers will pay for their privacy. The divorcee, who really is a most unpleasant character, decides that the non-existent "Happy Times" hotel would be the perfect place to dump her unwanted blind step-daughter, Ying, and before Zhao realizes it, he is responsible for the neglected, frail blind teenage girl. Zhao's faulty logic, accompanied by his unrelenting desire to please and placate his nasty fiancee lead to further fabrications and eventually to disaster. The title of the DVD, "Happy Times," is ironic--just as the "Happy Times" hotel does not exist, there are also really no "happy times" for any of the characters in this film. Happiness remains elusive--or exists in the imagination, at best. Zhao's make-believe hotel--a metaphor for life--is really only a gutted, abandoned bus that serves as a tacky love nest. Similarly, happy times for Zhao and Ying are elusive and fleeting moments spent eating an ice cream, and describing the colours and patterns in a dress. There is no lasting happiness in reality, and yet indulging in fabrications and make-believe ultimately also brings unhappiness to those who indulge in fantasies.
Rating:
Summary: Bitter-sweet story
Review: There was a time when I longed to see another Zhang Yimou film. His greatest films, "Raise the Red Lantern," "Shanghai Triad," "Ju-dou," and "Red Sorghum" are--without a doubt--some of the richest cinematic experiences--and I'll stress the word "experiences" that I've EVER had. But something happened to Zhang Yimou, and his artistry--as perhaps one of the greatest directors of all time--waned. Was it perhaps because he lost his muse, Gong Li, star of "Shanghai Triad" and "Raise the Red Lantern"? Many professional reviewers speculate that Gong Li's departure is the cause for Yimou's artistic slump, but regardless of the cause, Yimou seems to be on the rise again with this film "Happy Times." Zhao (Bensahn Zhao), an unemployed, middle-aged lonely factory worker longs for a wife. After being jilted 18 times, he decides to marry an unpleasant, domineering divorcee. While friends scoff at photographs of Zhao's large new fiancee, Zhao defends her rubenesque proportions by stating that the other 18 women left him because they were skinny, and as this fiancee is far from skinny, Zhao believes she will stay put and marry him. Zhao, in order to impress the divorcee, brags that as the manager of the "Happy Times" hotel, he is fairly well-to-do. Problems develop when the divorcee contends that they need 50,000 yen in order to get married in style, and this is when Zhao starts to involve his friends in his relationship. Acting on the advice of his best friend (who also has no money), Zhao refurbishes an abandoned bus as a romantic retreat for lovers with the idea that the lovers will pay for their privacy. The divorcee, who really is a most unpleasant character, decides that the non-existent "Happy Times" hotel would be the perfect place to dump her unwanted blind step-daughter, Ying, and before Zhao realizes it, he is responsible for the neglected, frail blind teenage girl. Zhao's faulty logic, accompanied by his unrelenting desire to please and placate his nasty fiancee lead to further fabrications and eventually to disaster. The title of the DVD, "Happy Times," is ironic--just as the "Happy Times" hotel does not exist, there are also really no "happy times" for any of the characters in this film. Happiness remains elusive--or exists in the imagination, at best. Zhao's make-believe hotel--a metaphor for life--is really only a gutted, abandoned bus that serves as a tacky love nest. Similarly, happy times for Zhao and Ying are elusive and fleeting moments spent eating an ice cream, and describing the colours and patterns in a dress. There is no lasting happiness in reality, and yet indulging in fabrications and make-believe ultimately also brings unhappiness to those who indulge in fantasies.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story of transition and hope...
Review: This film is the first work I have viewed of Director, Zhang Yimou.
It is a wonderful story of hope and love. It also shows the contrast of a person raised during China's total embrace of communism and how he copes both morally and emotionally with Chinese communism's embrace of the free market. It is a story of love and hope. An umemployed factory worker and a blind 18 year old are the heroes of this movie. Simply, it is a lovely film and viewing it you will feel better about people. Watch out Hollywood, Chinese cinema is no longer just Kung Fu movies. Director Zhang Yimou knows how to tell a story, without off color language or gratuitous sex scenes. Only goes to show you a good script transcends all language barriers.
Rating:
Summary: Another decent Yimou's work
Review: This is a story about ordinary folks. It may seem unreal as a whole but it's not hard find every single person in the real life. How many movies are completely real stories? So put them together to make a drama which also looks like comedy and a little tragedy (for the teenage girl who is definitely not 18 as she told and has to leave those who showed care and love on her and and for Zhao who was blamed as a liar and lost his "love" again and was injurred by an unneccessary accident).
Unlike some other Yimou's moveis, this movie was not focusing on the poverty but on love. An unemployeed (his factory was half closed and had no pay to give out)old man Zhao seeked love and did his best he could to make his new date happy. The fat woman turned out to be a savvy gold digger type and took advantage of his love to let him to help her dump her untanted blind stepdaughter. While trying hard, with his scarce money, to please his date Zhao had to take care of the blind girl who had been abandoned by her stepmother and was neglected by her biological father. Troubled by lacking of money, Zhao and his fellow workers set up a fake massage parlor to "hire" the girl to do the only thing she can do. They even gave real tips to the girl though they themself were all not rich, even poor. But this could not last long so they decide to give paper as money to make her stay to avoid her dangerous leaving-out. The fat woman kicked Zhao out after her new lover (seemed to be the girl's father who seemed to have made a lot of money but did not show sign to find her daughter and cure her eye) came back and blamed Zhao as a liar. Yes Zhao lied to her about his fake hotel and finacial situation but not about his love to her. The girl also found out the massage parlor was fake and the later paper money were fake but she did not feel being deceived but felt being loved by those unknown folks who are not her father and stepmother. Not wanting to add more burden to these nice guys the girl left secretly, not even waitng for anotehr fake letter from her father. Probably she knew her father did not even care about her. Like she said her happies times were those while she were with Zhao and his fellow workers. The whole story was smoothly told and was toutchng. Every single person has his or her unique characters through out the whole movie, making it real life like and vivid. It's hard to find this kind stylish movies in Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: happy times
Review: This is an excellent movie, but "the long way home" is similar and better.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet little movie
Review: This movie tops my all time list of Asian films. It covers the whole range of emotions - at times, it is absolutely hilarious, then absurd, and then very touching. Brilliantly done.
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