The great Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To is broadly known for his riveting gangster dramas, with operatic gun fights, tense drama, and conflicted characters. But To is a skilled filmmaker in many different genres, and one of my favorite films of his is the excellent romantic comedy Donāt Go Breaking My Heart, which he co-directed with frequent collaborator Wai Ka-fai. Itās one of the best love triangle movies ever, and itās a perfect movie to get cozy and watch with someone you have a crush on this holiday season. And if you want to watch it, the clock is ticking: Itās leaving Netflix Dec. 1, and thereās currently no other way to watch it ā thereās no way to rent or purchase it digitally, no other streaming service has it, and physical releases range from āexorbitantly expensiveā to ādifficult to find.ā
Starring three gorgeous and charming people (a great foundation for a romance), Donāt Go Breaking My Heart follows Chi-yan (Gao Yuanyuan), a recently single financial analyst who finds her heart pulled between two competing suitors: a CEO (Louis Koo) who stood her up, and an architect (Daniel Wu) she helps get back on his feet after going through a rough time.
Both men are charming and suave, but offer different attributes as prospective partners ā Kooās CEO is more removed emotionally but offers financial stability, while Wuās architect is full of romantic yearning, but heās still picking up the pieces of his life. Itās understandable why the choice is difficult ā this isnāt your typical āone good option, one badā love triangle story (and To uses the background of a financial crisis to cleverly portray finding a life partner as an act of comparison shopping in the free market of dating). Individual viewers will have their own preference for which partner she chooses, but you could see her being content with either of them. They also end up working, at different times, in the building across from where Chi-yan works. That leads to one of Donāt Go Breaking My Heartās most charming touches: The characters flirt by putting up sticky notes on the large glass windows of their buildings, making smiley faces and sending messages to each other. The glass windows are also a great opportunity for one of the age-old rom-com tropes: Mix-ups and miscommunications leading to hijinks.
The movieās frequently funny, too, with sight gags, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and physical comedy galore. Part His Girl Friday, part Playtime, and all fun, Donāt Go Breaking My Heart is an excellent example of a generational director working at the height of his powers and absolutely nailing a genre.
Donāt Go Breaking My Heart is streaming on Netflix through Nov. 30.
