Film Adaptation “Love in Taipei” is Sweet Like Bubble Tea

“Love in Taipei” is a cute, wholesome, and fun movie geared for teens and tweens. Unfortunately, it is also predictable and at times heavy-handed with the message it’s trying to convey about self-discovery and following your dreams despite parental expectations. If you can overlook the by-the-numbers beats, which are common in many perfectly acceptable movies, the movie can delight and satisfy.

Based on the New York Times best-selling YA novel “Loveboat, Taipei” by Abigail Hing Wen, the movie follows Ever Wong (Ashley Liao) after her parents send her to a cultural immersion program in Taipei, Taiwan, for the summer. What her parents believe to be a resume-building camp is, in fact, a no-rules “Loveboat” where students sneak out and go clubbing at night. Love triangle warning: Ever is attracted to both the preppy overachiever Rick Woo (Ross Butler) and the brooding artist Xavier Yeh (Nico Hiraga), all while torn between what her parents expect and pursuing her secret passion for dance. 

Mochi spoke to the novel’s author Wen — also an executive producer of the film — about diversity and representation on screen, the challenges of adapting a book into a movie, and wearing sweaters in Taipei. 

Making Room for All Stories

I’m a firm believer that Asian stories do not have to be traumatic, shocking, or award-winning in order to exist. In this sense, this movie does its job. “Love in Taipei” is a perfectly fine, breezy, reasonably entertaining, summer, coming-of-age movie. It’s enjoyable, the people are beautiful, and the overall message is all about finding your own way. 

“There are infinite stories in our community,” Wen tells me, saying she hopes her cast will go on to be discovered into other non-ethnic specific roles in Hollywood, “and we should have all of them. No one story should have to bear the burden of representing all of Asian America — which was the burden of ‘Joy Luck Club’ when it first came out and even ‘Crazy Rich Asians.’ The more stories we have, the less burden we will have on each individual one.”

“Love in Taipei” is an easily recognizable story in our community, and the movie executes the beats well, with just enough of a twist to seem comforting, yet not boring. For instance, Ever gets in touch with her Auntie Shu (Cindy Cheung), the artsy and slightly rebellious sister of her mother. Set up as a mentor and confidante, Auntie Shu at first seems as if she would encourage Ever to disparage the life her parents wish for her. Instead, in what I found to be the most moving part of the film, Auntie Shu shows Ever a new way to see her mother’s life, saying, “Maybe you were her dream.” 

Other surprises involve the love stories, Ever’s relationship with her parents, as well as how Ever deals with recording her dance audition tape (and its consequences). I don’t want to give these plot points away (minor as they are), but I do want to acknowledge my pleasant reaction to the attempts at keeping the story familiar, yet not entirely reliant on old (and successful) tropes.

Asians Are Cool Now

What I appreciated most about “Love in Taipei” is the ability for the characters to exist as Asian American (specifically Taiwanese American) without any angst about identity in that respect. (However, there is plenty of mild angst about cleaving from parental and familial expectations that is bland and played for minimal tension.) 

“This isn’t the ’90s, Ever. Everyone knows Asians are cool now,” declares Ever’s classmate Sophie (Chelsey Zhang) early on in the movie. And cool everyone in the movie is — mostly comfortable in their own skin, confident and secure in what they like and care about. No one is cruel or a mean girl. People are generally good-natured and friendly; there is no villain, which is incredibly refreshing. The characters are allowed to just be human, and what a gift that is for kids growing up Asian American.

“In the past year, we’ve seen an explosion of wonderful shows: ‘Joy Ride,’ ‘Beef,’ ‘American Born Chinese,’ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’” Wen says in regards to Asian American stories being on trend. “We’re not there yet. There’s still a gap between how Hollywood thinks of Asian American stories and aspects of the creative process. We’ve come a long way and I’m really proud of the hard work we fought hard for that is now in ‘Love in Taipei,’ but there is still more to go.”

As cool as everyone is, I really wished there was more depth (which perhaps, is a tall ask for the genre). Ever is unconscionably naive, especially when it comes to class dynamics, and never considers how other people have their own motivations and insecurities, regardless of how perfect they seem from the outside. The friendships and interactions are almost too wholesome to be believed, in particular since the assumption is that there are “no rules” at this camp and that everything should be a wild party. 

Mostly, I found it to be a missed opportunity to explore more of Ever’s identity as she learns Chinese for the first time and is effectively (and purposefully) shut out of conversations. Ever does grow and undergo character development, but it’s the kind expected from an after-school special. How I hoped for more messiness and less tidiness as Ever bumbled around in her new surroundings and friendships. 

A Love Letter to Taipei

Oddly enough, the real star of the movie is Taipei. Of course, this is a cleaned up, sanitized Taipei for tourists. The streets aren’t packed with citizens, the air looks positively fresh and crisp as opposed to hot and humid, and space seems impossibly large and open for the tight city. But there are just enough touches of authenticity to carry the day. 

My one major quibble is the presence of all the sweaters! I’ve just returned from an eight-week stay in Taipei and the idea of wearing a sweater in Taiwan at the peak of summer is laughable. “There were no cool summery clothes to be found,” explains Wen when I ask. “It was the height of COVID so we couldn’t even go shopping in some other country and bring it. We were stuck with what we had in Taipei.”

Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the accuracy with which the “Loveboat” camp (officially known as the Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour to Taiwan) was depicted. I never attended, but Wen has, and it shows. Though I initially couldn’t comprehend how nice and big the rooms were, my friends assure me that it was indeed the case — at least for part of the experience. According to them, the cultural classes and sneaking out in cabs to party in the city were definitely accurate.

Changes to the Book

For devoted fans of the book, be forewarned, there are some changes — as to be expected when condensing a 400-page novel into a 100-page script. One of the most noticeable changes is the creation of Auntie Shu (my favorite character in the film) to replace the original dance mentor from the book. “It helped us to condense the family storyline and bring it more efficiently to the screen,” Wen says of Auntie Shu’s character. 

Of all the plot points that were adapted for a better movie narrative, there is one scene that stayed the same. In fact, it’s a scene that Wen absolutely insisted on keeping due to how much it means to her. 

“I really wanted the dance at the end,” Wen shares, adding that she loves to dance — just like Ever — and it is through dance where Wen found the core of the story. In the book, Ever has just messed up in so many ways and when she starts dancing in her room, she wordlessly understands in her body what she needs to move forward. “Being able to capture that element, especially on screen where you can really experience the kinetic energy of it, is really important. I’m so thrilled we were able to have that dance sequence at the end.”

Fun for the Whole Family

Ultimately, while “Love in Taipei” doesn’t break new ground or offer exciting fare, it’s a solid choice for a fun afternoon by yourself or with your family —though there are some choice swears, legal consumption of alcohol, and kissing. It’s a nice introduction for anyone to Taipei and Taiwanese culture. While more discerning viewers may desire more gritty reality and growth, sometimes we just want a sweet fantasy featuring faces and families that resemble our own.

Check out the trailer for “Love in Taipei,” which is out on Paramount+ now. You can follow Abigail Hing Wen on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter.

Cover Credit: Ashley Liao as Ever Wong in Love in Taipei, streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo credit: Dragon 5/Paramount+ © 2022 Lions Gate Films, Inc. and Vicarious Entertainment, LLC d/b/a Ace Entertainment. All rights reserved.