Scoring more than $160 million in three weeks to become China's highest-grossing domestic film ever, Lost in Thailand is a boisterous, joyously hokey comedy that connects with auds through its explicit desire to please. Helmed by lead actor Xu Zheng, the $2.2 million-budgeted follow-up to 2010's modest hit Lost on Journey�is unexpectedly well honed for a debut feature. Peppering this feel-good road movie with the perkier thrills of a cat-and-mouse chase, Xu draws sparks from a talented comic trio cast as three Beijingers on an accident-prone journey to Chiangmai. Boffo B.O. should stoke offshore ancillary interest.
Having clocked nearly 30 million admissions (it's poised to challenge China's two top-grossing films, Avatar�and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, this lightweight entertainment is no masterpiece, but has proven a refreshing antidote to the year-end glut of blockbusters.
Written and directed by Hong Kong duo Raymond Yip and Manfred Wong, Lost on Journey�starred Xu and Wang Baoqiang in an odd-couple road pic modeled on Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Relocated to a foreign country, the sequel sacrifices its predecessor's strong regional color for broader attitude and greater narrative whimsy. Playing new characters, Xu and Wang retain the oddball dynamic they had as men of different class and values, but the plot devices that bring them together feel more scripted. Thankfully, this is offset by the decision to bring character actor Huang Bo into the mix (he previously teamed with Xu in Crazy Stone�and Crazy Racer), creating a more complex synergy.
An energy-company exec who helped develop a miracle fuel called Supergas, Xu Lang (Xu) is determined to secure the patent before his colleague Gao Bo (Huang) does, and he tries to track down reclusive prexy Zhou to buy out his stake. When Xu…
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