Cell Phone (film)

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Cell Phone
Promotional poster for Cell Phone
Directed by	Feng Xiaogang
Produced by	Wang Zhongjun Yang Buting
Written by	Liu Zhenyun
Starring	Ge You Zhang Guoli Fan Bingbing Xu Fan
Music by	Su Cong
Cinematography	Zhao Fei
Editing by	Zhou Ying
Release date(s)	18 December 2003
Running time	107 min.
Country	China
Language	Mandarin Chinese
IMDb profile

Cell Phone (Simplified Chinese: 手机; Traditional Chinese: 手機; pinyin: Shŏu Jī) is an award-winning Chinese drama film / comedy film film directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Ge You, Zhang Guoli, Xu Fan and Fan Bingbing. It was first released on 18 December 2003 in Mainland China, and was subsequently screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival on 18 March 2005. With its box office of over ¥50 million, Cell Phone became the best-selling domestic film in 2003.^[1]

Written by Liu Zhenyun, based on his own novel of the same title, the film revolves around two successful men whose marriages were wrecked when their wives uncovered their extramarital affairs through traces left in their cellphones. More broadly, the film explores the role of cellphones in interpersonal relationships in modern China, where the rapid development in information technology is having huge impacts on the way people communicate.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception
- 3.1 Awards and nominations
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story is set primarily in urban Beijing. Yan Shouyi (played by Ge You) is a TV host who has an affair with Wu Yue (Fan Bingbing), a young and attractive woman working in publishing. Yan diligently erases all text messages and call records between him and Wu on his cellphone before he gets home everyday, in order to avoid detection by his wife Yu Wenjuan (Lu Zhang). One night, after telling Yu that he has a work meeting with Fei Mo (Zhang Guoli), a TV producer and Yan's superior, Yan rendezvous with Wu and switches off his cellphone. Not being able to reach Yan a while later, Yu calls Fei, who has been in the know of Yan's affair, and asks about the work meeting. However, before he realizes the situation, Fei slips that he is not with Yan. Yu hastily hangs up.

Sensing something amiss, Fei immediately tries to contact the former but to no avail. When Yan finally reaches home, he is confronted by Yu but insists that he has been with Fei. Yu then uses Yan's cellphone to call Fei, who immediately upon answering blurts out his warning that Yu has called him in her effort to contact Yan. Yu subsequently finds a love-bite on Yan's neck, left by Wu. They divorce shortly after.

Months later, during a training program at a local arts academy, Yan meets teacher Shen Xue (Xu Fan) and the two soon fall in love. They move in together and look like they are on their way to marriage. However, at this time, the launching ceremony of Fei's latest book sees Yan and Wu's path crossed again. On the other hand, Fei, who has always advised Yan that affairs are "trouble", is lured into troubles himself when a female fan makes advances on him. The two arrange to rendezvous in a hotel room. Shortly after, Fei's wife finds out and divorces him, even though he maintains that he did go to the hotel but never went up to the room. It will not take long for Shen to uncover Yan's affair as well, and the two eventually split.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast

Ge You as Yan Shouyi, a TV host
Zhang Guoli as Fei Mo, a TV producer, Yan's superior
Xu Fan as Shen Xue, a teacher at an arts academy, Yan's lover after his divorce with his wife
Fan Bingbing as Wu Yue, a young attractive woman working in publishing who has an affair with Yan
Lu Zhang as Yu Wenjuan, Yan's wife who divorces him when she discovers his affair with Wu

[edit] Reception

The popularity of Cell Phone among the cinema-goers is evident in its strong box office performance. Having achieved ¥50 million in box office within a month after release (US$6.4 million in total according to Business Week^[2]), the film became the best-selling domestic production in 2003.^[1] The film also clinched all three top awards at the 2004 Hundred Flowers Awards, which is based on viewer voting. However, it failed to bag any award or even acquire nomination for any of the major awards at the jury-based Golden Rooster Awards in the same year. According to Golden Rooster's leading juror Zhong Chengxiang, albeit being popular among viewers, Cell Phone lacked in "class and style".^[3] Producer Wang Zhongjun retorted that viewers' approval is of the utmost importance and rejected the Golden Rooster as an award that has "not a single bit of commercial driving force".^[4] On the other hand, the official Huabiao Awards gave out an unprecedented special award to Cell Phone for its achievements in "market development", signifying official recognition of the market forces and taste of the mass.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Huabiao Awards, 2004
- Market Development Award
- Best Film (nominated)
- Best New Actress (nominated) — Fan Bingbing
Golden Rooster Awards, 2004
- Best Supporting Actor (nominated) — Zhang Guoli
- Best Supporting Actress (nominated) — Fan Bingbing
- Best Cinematography (nominated)
- Best Art Direction (nominated)
Hundred Flowers Awards, 2004
- Best Film
- Best Actor — Ge You
- Best Actor (nominated) — Zhang Guoli
- Best Actress — Fan Bingbing
- Best Actress (nominated) — Xu Fan