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Nice effects though.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This story about a naive 17-year-old coming to the city looking for love just doesn't ring true. Well, true enough, anyway. In his apartment (or dorm room), at the beginning of the movie, there's a poster on the wall for the film Happy Together. Let me warn you--if you admired the gritty realism, film style, and eyes-wide-open anti-romance of that film, Formula 17 is its polar opposite.And in more ways than one. That the virginal student, Tien, even knows about Happy Together--much less admires it enough to display the poster--is completely incongruous with his character. Tien's best friend, with whom he bunks in the city, is a comic character that probably doesn't translate accurately. I can well imagine Taiwanese audiences finding his high queen low comedy hilarious. But I felt I was not only missing language subtleties, some cultural subtleties must have eluded me too. I found very little of his shtick humorous or entertaining. The same goes for the roommate's two friends, also intended to be comic. Not for me.The actor who plays the anti-hero Bai seems to be acting in another movie altogether--maybe an Ang Lee drama, or maybe even Happy Together. His gravitas is a couple of notches above what is necessary for this bit of fluff.Toward the end of the movie Tien's three pals confront Bai. At one point one of them insists that he speak Mandarin. It was at that moment that I felt I'd been completely missing an entire dimension of the movie, something that had to do with cultural and language differences between the characters. Similarly, there are a number of dialog-free scenes that are underscored with untranslated Chinese pop songs. Again, I felt I was probably missing something.I agree, this film has it's heart in the right place. The production is clearly low-budget, but that isn't detracting. The story-line is not very original, but that's not detracting either, really. What was a major minus for me, though, was the feeling that as a non-Chinese speaker, I was missing more than half of what was going on.There isn't much to this movie. But what little is there almost certainly depends upon a thorough understanding of the language and culture to appreciate fully. Without that understanding you're watching a bit of fluff that will strike you as seriously deficient in content and quality. And that may not be entirely true.

This is the second time I watched gay's movie, the first time is 'the question of love' (France movie) and I feel that both of this movies are really good. Even though the plot is not so well made but the story line is really good looks exactly same like yaoi (gay) manga (comic) from Japan.The story was about a country boy who came to Taipei after did his final exams, in Taipei he met friends and fell in love with no. 1 gay playboy (Duncan) in town. Duncan also liked him so they end up having one night stand but Duncan left him without any real explanation and made him broken heart. Soon after Duncan realized that he loved this country boy and tried to find him. Anyway it's a happy ending film beside it's a comedy which makes me really like this movie.Yeah the plot is not as strong as France movie but this movie kinds of sweet and pure and the soundtracks also nice.I recommend this movie to anyone who likes to read yaoi manga, see gay's movies or just want to see something good.

It's a little bit hard to put your finger on this show, which is a mixture of comedy, romance and gay sex – there is a lot of emphasis on sex. Also, it's one of those films in which everyone is homosexual and loving it. There is no struggle with sexuality in any of the characters -- although that's really not the point of this movie. In all honesty, the fact that the cast is gay has no impact on the plot whatsoever. It could have been a straight story and I would have been none the wiser. Of course, I probably wouldn't have watched it either, had that been the case.There were a few things that really suckered me into enjoying this film, though. Firstly, the chemistry between the leading men; sparks fly between Tieh Nan and Tian Cai from the minute they see each other (oh, they really, really do!). For some reason, they worked very well together, going from adorable bashfulness to familiarity to blissful contentment with incredible feeling. Also, the buildup towards their sex scene with the hesitance and the fumbling hands? One of the best, most believably sexy moments I've ever watched on screen (another that came close was between Diego Luna and Romola Garai in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights; the transition from languid touches to frantic desperate need was so excellently done I can feel tingles down my spine just thinking about it).Another thing I liked about the movie is that they had exaggerated comic relief, a typical characteristic of most Chinese films, but that it somehow, for most of it, wasn't too outrageous. I actually enjoyed it. Wen Yu, CC & Alan are, aside from Tian Cai's protectors and sex gurus, the comic relief of the show, and they pull off their parts with justified aplomb.On top of that, I thoroughly relished the way the movie incorporated the difficulties of being in a relationship and dealing with the aftermath of a breakup. The barrier of language in Wen Yu and his Caucasian boyfriend's relationship was used very well, and the contrast in his and Tian Cai's behavior after their breakups (one wallowing while the other channeled all his pain into anger) was a delight to watch.Finally, Bai Tieh Nan, which is where I indulge myself in a little bit of (what some might consider) biased rambling. You see, although he's not the typical swoon-worthy boy, his acting is so wonderfully crafted that there are quite a few scenes I rewound and replayed over and over again just to stare in amazement at his incredibly spot-on expressions. Naturally, this doesn't hold up through the entire film. His visits to his psychiatrist are too exaggerated, his attempts at callousness in his flashbacks are pathetic, and they should never use the "slow-mo, wind blowing his hair as he walks into a room with absolutely no wind around" angle on him. He's not traditionally handsome enough to pull it off. But boy, does he have aura. I could go on and on, because he is that good, and he has several scenes in the movie that are ovary-bursting worthy. Near the close of the film, he prays for a sign, any sign, to show him where Tian Cai has gone, and says that if after he counts from one to ten his sign doesn't appear, he'll give up. It is possibly the most emotional countdown I've ever heard.Now, this movie is not without its downside. I could have done without the lengthy, somewhat pointless intro. There was absolutely no use in Tian Cai's dream about jumping into a pool at the start of the movie and then getting kissed by Tieh Nan while his voice-over went on and on about trigonometry. It bore no further significance, either, even at the end where it becomes apparent that Tian Cai has this recurring dream quite often, in which he asks several different questions that Tieh Nan now has the answers to. If that was supposed to show me that Tieh Nan was, quite literally, the man of Tian Cai's dreams, it was a pathetic attempt. The lucky condom that Wen Yu gave Tian Cai was another useless plot point. One of my pet peeves is when these little details are brought to attention only to be neglected at the end of the film.Formula 17 is a difficult movie to sit through, even with its occasional flashes of brilliance. It's only worth it when you realize the wonder that is Bai Tieh Nan. He almost single-handedly saves the show. Steals it, really, though with the acting that Tian Cai couldn't do, it isn't hard to see why.

As a Taiwanese, I am very proud of this production. I saw it when I was in Taiwan and loved it. A very funny comedy of a gay utopia in Taipei. No women can be seen in this movie. No aids. No difficulties of coming out. No one dying. Just a gay comedy. Makes everyone happy. I just got the DVD. watched it with my German friends and we all loved it. Sweet and loving. The two leading actors are actually straight. But they did a wonderful job.Being gay and 17 can be a fabulous thing. And this movie is a great happy statement saying, "I am fag and fabulous!"