Movie Review Yolo (2024)

 

Yolo (Original Title: 热辣滚烫) | 2024 | 2h 9m
Genre: Sport/Boxing/Drama/Comedy/Action | Country: China
Director: Ling Jia | Writers: Shin Adachi, Yu Bu, Yupeng Guo
Cast: Ling Jia, Jiayin Lei, Xiaofei Zhang
IMDB: 6.9
My Rate: 8/10

Betrayals by those closest to her, experienced by Le Ying, lead her to a life-altering decision: to win just once in a boxing match.

Warnings:

Contains violence, sensual scenes, and suicide.

 

Synopsis:

Le Ying (Ling Jia) spends her time lazing around at home after graduation. This annoys her family. Her cousin, a journalist, offers to help her find a job by appearing on a television show she manages.

Le Ying doesn't want to be part of the show, leading to an argument within her family. The situation worsens after Le Ying fights with her younger sister who returns to live with their mother after her divorce. They exchange hurtful words, ultimately causing Le Ying to leave home.

Le Ying tries to live independently and works as a waitress at a restaurant. She falls in love with a boxing coach at the gym near the restaurant. Their relationship grows closer, especially after Le Ying joins the gym as a member.

However, it turns out that the sincerity of Le Ying's feelings is not reciprocated. The coach seems to be taking advantage of her. Some unpleasant events also happen unexpectedly. Le Ying finally decides to change her life for the better.

Will Le Ying succeed in changing her life?

 

Review:

Yolo is an adaptation of the Japanese film "100 Yen Love". Both share similar stories, but the main character in Yolo appears more dramatic. This is because there is a significant change in the main character. The interesting story idea is presented quite compellingly.

The story is presented systematically. The background of the story and characters is well-developed. However, the expectations built during the trailer are not fully met.

The first hour feels a bit boring. The main character has a weak and unenthusiastic personality. This is especially noticeable in her almost inaudible voice, which is actually consistent with her character. This makes it a bit tedious.

The tension of the story starts to be felt in the next hour. The tension sold during the trailer is seen in this last hour. The main character's character development starts to be felt. It's a pity that this character development is not shown in detail. However, it can be said that it still successfully grabs the audience's attention.

The acting of the cast is quite good, especially Jia Ling, who plays the main character. She really put in the effort to lose weight, losing 50 kg, and training in boxing. This is not an easy thing to do. It's understandable why Jia Ling received several awards for the effort she put in to deliver a maximum performance.

There is a scene that is a bit illogical when Le Ying suddenly does shadow boxing after chatting with her former boxing coach. Le Ying even leaves the box of drinks she brought from the store. This event seems to happen randomly.

Overall, this film is interesting to watch and provides motivation for the audience. We can also see the behind-the-scenes of the main character and her struggle to meet the character's needs at the end of the story. A recommended film for those who like series related to boxing.

 

Memorable Scene:

Le Ying, feeling disappointed in herself, visits her gym and expresses her desire to fight in the boxing ring. The gym coach initially scoffs at her desire and considers it impossible. However, Le Ying shows her strong determination to the gym owner.

In this scene, we see that change will happen within us as long as the spirit and determination come from within us. No matter how many people ask us to change, it won't have any effect. But when we want to change, nothing is impossible.

 
Memorable Dialogue:

"She said she wanted to win once."

 

Ending:

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)