With Richie Ren in the lead, we can't help comparing this one with his 2000 effort, Summer Holiday. But Summer I Love You is not a fun flick or even a summer flick. Its love story is dour and it is neither romantic nor funny.
Wei Ching (Candy Lo) is an emotionally-disturbed woman who spends her nights on the ICQ with 'pals' like Ah Lek (Richie Ren) who operates a beach resort on Thailand's Koh Samui. After much persuasion, Ching agrees to visit Lek's island resort. Arriving at the hotel with such a sour face, we thought she is coming to a convalescent home. And what do you know? We will soon be proved right! Lek is a wheelchair-bound paraplegic who is high on life and he takes it upon himself to make Ching laugh. Sure, they fall in love rather quickly and then disaster strikes. Someone has to make a big sacrifice for the sake of love and then watch as the heart breaks. However don't reach for the tissues yet.
The plot and the acting are so contrived that it is difficult to feel for either of the leads. In fact, there's more 'soul-searching' in a subplot concerning an elderly couple at the resort than in the main plot. Director Banny Law Gam Chuen seems to be at a loss about what to do with the rest of the 'beach cast' who seem like wall flowers.
This movie has all the ingredients of an inspirational, Chicken Soup-type story but it is so badly cooked, it has become a mess.
