FABULOUS 30 (30 Kamlung Jaew) (2011)

Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: “King” Somching Srisupap
Cast: Peter corp Dyrendal, Patchrapa Chaichua, Phupoom Phongpanu, Nitit Warayanon, Warinda Damrongphol, Sasapin Siriwanij, Benjawan Piantumdee, Orn-arnin Peerachakajornpatt, Nutthapong Piboonthanakiat, Arada Arayawuth
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: www.m-thirtyninemovie.com

Opening Day: 3 May 2012

Synopsis: As Ja blew the candles on the cake for her 31^st birthday, the light in the room brightens up unexpectedly – A good-looking young man standing by her door.

Por – a 24-year old Petroleum Engineer to-be, has travelled to Bangkok to attend the basic training for his job. That night, he follows his friend, Zen to an unknown part. Por’s heart beats like a drum as he met Ja, a woman he fell in love with 7 years ago. Por told himself that he will never let her disappear again and is determined to win her love within the three months he has in Bangkok.

Fate has it that Por stays next to Ja, as his grandmother is also Ja’s landlady. With the proximity, Por has more opportunities to know Ja better and he gradually falls head over heels in love with her.

At the same time, Ja is having a hard time coping with her best. After splitting from his boyfriend of 7-years, Ja lost faith in love. She spends her day working and partying to kill time. It is not easy for her to open her heart to a new relationship, especially to someone who is 7-years younger, like Por.

As time passes, Ja opens her heart to Por. However, Por’s innocent and cheerful personality is not enough to convince Ja of the age-gap between them. The age difference is not the only obstacle: Nop – Ja’s handsome, pilot ex-boyfriend returns to Ja, asking for reconciliation. Nop’s appearance certainly upset the budding romance between Ja and Por.

During this awkward period, Por left home for Basic off-shore training. Several days after Por’s departure, Ja experienced a sense of loss. When Por returns from his training and profess his love, Ja is still uncertain. Heartbroken by Ja’s response, Por told Ja that will leave to work on the Oil rig, somewhere in the ocean and will not harass her again. Ja, though sad about Por’s pending departure is still not ready to accept his love.

Days and months passed, and it’s Ja’s 32^nd birthday. She receives an e-mail with a Youtube link, could it be from Por? Will love come knocking again?

Movie Review:

‘Fabulous 30’ is yet another entry by the Thai film industry into the rom-com genre, a foray that arguably began with GMM’s ‘Bangkok Traffic Love Story’ and has continued through their string of recent hits ‘Hello Stranger’ and ‘ATM’. Unlike those movies however, this doesn’t come from the GMM studio, which probably explains why it is less slick and less entertaining than any one of the other films.

Certainly its premise is less inspired, drawing as it does on the proverbial fears of single women who have hit the big 30. That lady is Ja (Patchrapa Chaichua), who not only has to deal with her supposed insecurity due to her age, but also from her recent split with a boyfriend of seven years after she finds out that he has no intention of settling down. As formula would have it, she will meet the right one just as she is prepared to give up on love.

Enter Porasit (Ken Phupoom), an engineer by training who has just graduated from university and is about to begin his job on an oil rig in six months time. And oh in case you’re wondering, Por just happens to be seven years younger than her (i.e. he is 24 and she is 31 when they meet), which of course turns out to be a sore point in their budding romance even as they fall in love with each other.

Never mind that Por’s best friend Zen (Nitit Warayanon) happens to have a crush on Ja, or that Ja’s longtime boyfriend Nop (Peter Corp Dyrendal) comes knocking with an plea for them to get back together, this is essentially a love story between a younger man and an older woman and their attendant age complications. There’s of course no doubt that by the end, Ja will overcome her dilemma of dating someone younger and follow her heart to say an affirmative yes to Por’s constant plea for them to be a couple.

The journey to that established outcome however proves less fulfilling than you would expect it to, chiefly because the trio of screenwriters (Somching Srisupap, Boonpong Panich and Sakila Banyen) keep the story simple to the point of being simplistic. Instead of letting the characters develop along the way, they stick with the same formula throughout- guy and girl share a close intimate moment; guy and girl look like they might get together; girl gets cold feet due to some reminder of their age difference; then guy starts over trying to win her heart again.

Not only does the repetition get tiresome after a while, it also gets bogged down every time by heavy-handed melodrama. Indeed, Srisupap is too keen at every possible turn to let some sappy pop song or soundtrack play in the background as Por gets rejected time and again by Ja. It doesn’t help that the pacing of the movie is too slow for its own good, and at slightly over two hours, is clearly stretching the material too thin.

Yet despite its flaws, there is still a sweet appeal to it, thanks to the mostly delightful cast. Kudos to Patchrapa Chaichua, who proves that she is much more than just a pretty face, channelling both her character’s joys and insecurities sharply. Next to her, Phupoom comes off as rather blad and wooden, but at least the model and TV star making his first leap into feature film fits the bill as a gentle, playful and slightly less mature adult next to Chaichua. The supporting cast, consisting mainly of Ja’s posse of friends, are largely a hoot and make the best of what screen time the film accords to them.

Of course, no rom-com could be possible without chemistry between the leads, and fortunately there is plenty of that between Chaichua and Phupoom. Without that spark between them, this rom-com would most certainly have fallen apart. Rather, they make the best of a middling script and some uneven direction to finally win you over with a message that love is always possible- despite what society may tell you- if you only trust your heart and follow your instincts. 

Movie Rating:

(Fabulous it may not be, but this Thai rom-com has enough winning chemistry between its leads to be a pleasing date movie)

Review by Gabriel Chong