Film Review – Love in Taipei

“Love in Taipei” is an adaptation of a 2020 novel by Abigail Hing Wen, with the book titled “Loveboat, Taipei.” To avoid confusion (and possible copyright entanglements) the production drops the “Loveboat” name, but Wen’s general idea remains, following the adventures of young people trying to make sense of family and feelings while on an eight-week-long retreat in Taiwan. There’s been a rise of “Lifetime 2.0” pictures, with producers going after a younger, streaming-conscious audience with softer, easier tales of attraction and romantic challenges. “Love in Taipei” is no different, playing to a specific demographic with this understanding of pretty people stuck in situations of poor communication. There are no surprises here, but director Arvin Chen handles pleasant locations and capable young actors with skill, blending elements of a tourism video with the ways of heartbreak, landing a vanilla tale of limited dramatic emphasis. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com