Finding Mr. Right Information

Finding Mr. Right () is a 2013 romantic comedy film written and directed by Xue Xiaolu. The film was a box-office hit, grossed nearly US$85 million in China. The title translates literally as "Beijing Meets Seattle". The success led to the release of a sequel released in 2016, Finding Mr. Right 2.

Plot

Wen Jiajia is pregnant with the child of her boyfriend, a corrupt businessman in Beijing who is already married and is under criminal investigation. She flies to Seattle so she can have her child in an illegal maternity center as a way of avoiding scandal and obtaining American citizenship for the child. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport she is picked up by Frank, a taxi driver who was a doctor in China before coming to the United States. Frank came to Seattle because his ex-wife took a job in the city's pharmaceutical industry; Frank moved to be closer to their daughter, Julie. Jiajia recognizes Frank because he once treated her father. Frank and Jiajia do not get along at first, but slowly begin to see the good in each other.

In the film, Jiajia's sugar daddy does not leave his wife, leaving Jiajia on her own. Jiajia eventually begins a romance with Frank. However, she leaves Frank to be re-united with her boyfriend in China after the latter left his wife. The relationship doesn't work because Jiajia sees the emptiness of material comfort without real love. She runs into Frank 2 years later atop the Empire State building a la Sleepless in Seattle and they begin a relationship.

Cast

• Tang Wei as Wen Jiajia (C: ???, P: Wn Ji?ji?)
• Wu Xiubo as Hao Zhi (C: ? ?, P: H?o Zh)/Frank
• Hai Qing (? ?) as Zhou Yi (C: ? ?, P: Zh?u Y)/Joe
• Mai Hongmei (???) as Chen Yue(S: ? ?, T: ? ?, P: Chn Yu)/Moon
• Elaine Jin as Mrs. Huang (S: ??, T: ??, P: Hung-ti) a.k.a. Huang Mali/Mary
• Monica Song (C: ???, P: Sng M?ihu) as younger Zhuli (C: ??, P: Zh?l)/Julie, Hao Zhi's daughter
• Jessica Song (C: ???, P: Sng M?imn) as older Julie
  • Jessica and Monica Song, the actresses for Julie, were 12-year-old twins from Richmond, British Columbia. They were auditioned by Judy Lee, the casting director, and tutored by Michael Bean, a talent coach.
• Theresa Lee as Dr. Tang
• Liu Yiwei as voice of Zhong
• Alex Dafoe as a doctor
• Clayton Chitty as Club Guy
• Michael Denis as Jose

Production

Except for the opening credits, the entirety of the film was shot in Vancouver. The filming in Vancouver occurred in late 2012.

Release

The film premiered in Hong Kong on February 14, 2013. It had its theatrical release in China on March 21, 2013 and in Hong Kong on March 28, 2013. The film grossed 518 million yuan (US$84.4 million) in China.

In November 2013 the film was released in selected United States theaters.

Reception

Jeff Shannon of the Seattle Times gave the film two stars out of four. Shannon wrote that the film is "blandly generic and predictable from the get-go", has a "boring" English title and that it has a "never less than obvious" setup. Shannon added that the film is "a tolerably cute showcase for Tang Wei". According to Shannon, Seattle "gets the rainy-glossy, picture-postcard treatment" and that the film "does touch upon the notion of Seattle (and the U.S.) as a sensible escape from the garish materialism of Beijing and Hong Kong."

Derek Elley of Film Business Asia gave the film a six out of ten rating, referring to it as an "Okay but unspecial rom-com is driven more by technique than its script or lead chemistry."

The film's release caused an increase in Chinese tourism to Seattle, despite the entire movie being filmed in Vancouver, BC. Janet Christopher, the vice president of the tourism department of "Visit Seattle," stated "The phones started ringing and it hasn't stopped. We have been amazed at the response. This is bigger than 'Sleepless in Seattle.'" Due to the response, CCTV did a New Years' Eve live broadcast from Seattle in 2013, occurring in Kerry Park. The film caused an increase in romantic comedy films made in China.