YOLO (热辣滚烫) (2024)

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Jia Ling
Cast: Jia Ling, Lei Jiayin, Zhang Xiaofei, Zhao Haiyan, Zhang Qi, Xu Jun Cong, Bu Yu, Zhu Tianfu, Liu Honglu
Runtime: 2 hr 9 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Sony Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 28 March 2024

Synopsis: Le Ying (played by Jia Ling) has been staying at home for many years, doing nothing in particular . After graduating from college and working for a while, Le Ying chooses to withdraw from society, closing herself off from social circles, which she believes is the best way to "reconcile" with herself. One day, after several twists of fate, she decides to live life in a different way. In cautiously venturing into the outside world, Le Ying meets boxing coach Hao Kun (played by Lei Jia Yin). Just when she thinks life is about to take a positive turn, the challenges that follow far exceed her imagination, and her vibrant life is just beginning... 

Movie Review:

After the huge success of Hi, Mom!, director and writer Jia Ling returns to the big screen with the adaptation of a Japanese film called “100 Yen Love” (2014).

Despite being marketed as sort of a boxing comedy, YOLO is far engaging than the usual underdog sports drama. In fact, it has so little boxing for a two hours movie that it will make Rocky weep. Still, the inspiring, bittersweet movie of how a plus-size woman turned her life around more than suffices.

The chubby Du Leying (Jia Ling) has been lazing around at home, sleeping and eating since quitting her short-stint job after college. Her boyfriend (Qiao Shan) has hooked up with her best friend and they are getting married. Her cousin, Doudou (Yang Zi) wants her to participate in a reality show so that she can join the station as a full-time employee. Leying’s sister (Zhang Xiaofei) wants her to transfer the house deed in which the latter inherit from her grandma over to her so that her own daughter can get into a government school.

After a fight with her sister, Leying decides to move out. She got a job as a waitress in a restaurant that's near a boxing club and she gets involved in a relationship with a boxing coach, Hao Kun (Lei Jiaying). Just when you expect things to turn out predictably as what other sports drama do, YOLO flips the conventional narrative.

It turns out that Leying, the always soft-spoken, kind-hearted chubby woman who always give in to all the horrible people surrounding her has never for once fight for herself. The betrayal of the initial upright Hao Kun and loving Doudou signals a change in her mentality. She needs to change her life by transforming from a loser to a fighter. Nothing can stop her from stepping into the ring.

For the first half, YOLO is filled with some intentional comedy from Leying’s dispute with her sister to her meetup with her boyfriend to her lecherous boss. As the narrative progresses, the poignant relationship with her coach/love interest Hao Kun slowly turned it into a melodrama. All thanks to the excellent performance of Jia Ling, the gradual change in tone largely remains grounded in all aspects with the audiences feeling all of Leying’s disappointment and heartache by the end of the second act.

The reason why audiences feel relatable to Leying is how the movie fleshes out the various characters in her life. The boyfriend who betrayed her. The selfish family member who takes things for granted. That pretentious one friend or cousin who needs a favour from you or the partner who never practice what he/she always preaches.

Instead of pleasing the lives of others, Leying choses to live for herself even if it means perhaps dying in the ring fighting opposite a veteran boxing champion. The final scene of Leying running towards the sunset after her defeat only demonstrates the determination and direction she is going in future.

YOLO as a movie has lots of messages packed into it. It’s definitely well-executed by Jia Ling and her filmmaking team in terms of story and production values. Of course, the ending credits showed us the brutal side of it, Jia Ling losing 50kg in a span of a year. The beautiful swan has emerged not that Ling needs to do so to prove her worth.

Movie Rating:

(An inspiring tale packed with with laughs, sweat and tears)

Review by Linus Tee