''Cell Phone'' () is a 2003 Chinese

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by

Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician. He is well known in China as a highly successful commercial filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well at the box of ...

and starring

Ge You Ge You (born April 19, 1957) is a Chinese actor. A native of Beijing, often with a bald shaven pate, he is considered by many to be one of the most recognizable acting personalities in China. He became the first Asian actor to win the Cannes ...

Zhang Guoli Zhang Guoli (born 17 January 1955) is a Chinese actor and film director who was a ''xiangsheng'' actor before he started working on films and television series. He is mostly known for his roles playing the Emperor in various dramas involving Qin ...

Xu Fan Xu Fan (, born 16 August 1967) is a Chinese actress and Asian Film Awards winner. She married film director Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician ...

and

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. From 2013 to 2017, she was included as the highest-paid celebrity in the ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list after ranking in the top 10 every year since 2006. She appeared on ''Time'' ...

. It was first released on 18 December 2003 in mainland China and was subsequently screened at the

Cleveland International Film Festival The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the largest film festival in Ohio. It was first held in 1977, showing eight films over a period of eight weeks at the Cedar Lee Theatre. It ...

on 18 March 2005. With box office earnings of over ¥50 million, ''Cell Phone'' became the highest-grossing domestic film in 2003. Written by Liu Zhenyun, based on his own novel of the same title, the film revolves around two successful men whose marriages were wrecked when their wives uncovered their extramarital affairs through traces left in their cell phones. More broadly, the film explores the role of cellphones in interpersonal complex relationships in modern China, where rapidly expanding use of information technology impacts the way people communicate.

Plot

Yan Shouyi is a TV host who has an affair with Wu Yue (Fan Bingbing), a young and attractive woman working in publishing. Yan diligently erases all text messages and call records between him and Wu on his cellphone before he gets home everyday, in order to avoid detection by his wife Yu Wenjuan (Lu Zhang). One night, after telling Yu that he has a work meeting with Fei Mo (Zhang Guoli), a TV producer and Yan's superior, Yan rendezvous with Wu and switches off his cellphone. Not being able to reach Yan a while later, Yu calls Fei, who has been in the know of Yan's affair.

Cast

as Yan Shouyi (S: 严守一, T: 嚴守一, P: ''Yán Shǒuyī''), a TV host *

as Fei Mo (S: 费墨, T: 費墨, P: ''Fèi Mò''), a TV producer, Yan's superior *

as Shen Xue (C: 沈雪, P: ''Shěn Xuě''), a teacher at an arts academy, Yan's lover after his divorce with his wife *

as Wu Yue (C: 武月, P: ''Wǔ Yuè''), a young attractive woman working in publishing who has an affair with Yan * Lu Zhang as Yu Wenjuan (S: 于文娟, T: 於文娟, P: ''Yú Wénjuān''), Yan's wife who divorces him when she discovers his affair with Wu * Zhao Kulier as Li Yan * Huang Suying as Yan's Grandmother * Yang Xin as Lu Gui Hua / Niu Cai Yun *

Yong Mei Yong Mei (; born 14 February 1970) is a Chinese actress. In 2019, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in the film '' So Long, My Son'' directed by Wang Xiaoshuai. Early lif ...

as Xiao Su

Reception

The popularity of ''Cell Phone'' among the cinema-goers is evident in its strong

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicke ...

performance. Having achieved ¥50 million in box office within a month after release, the film became the best-selling domestic production in 2003. It was 2003's

highest-grossing film in China This is a list of the highest-grossing films in Mainland China. Most of the data below is provided by EntGroup's China Box Office (CBO) website, with the gross in yuan. Highest-grossing films by box office revenue Top 50 all-time highest-grossing ...

, with a total of ( $6.4 million). The film also clinched all three top awards at the 2004

Hundred Flowers Awards The Hundred Flowers Awards () are, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, the most prestigious film awards honouring the best in Chinese cinema, as well as Hong Kong cinema and the Cinema of Taiwan, they are classified as the Chinese equivale ...

, which is based on viewer voting. However, it failed to bag any award or even acquire nomination for any of the major awards at the jury-based

Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the shap ...

in the same year. According to Golden Rooster's leading juror Zhong Chengxiang, albeit being popular among viewers, ''Cell Phone'' lacked "class and style". Producer Wang Zhongjun retorted that viewers' approval is of the utmost importance and rejected the Golden Rooster as an award that has "not a single bit of commercial driving force". On the other hand, the official

Huabiao Awards China Huabiao Film Awards (), also simply known as Huabiao Awards, is an annual awards ceremony for Chinese cinema. Named after the decorative Chinese winged columns (''huabiaos''), The Huabiao Awards were first instituted in 1957 as the Ministry ...

gave out an unprecedented special award to ''Cell Phone'' for its achievements in "market development", signifying official recognition of the market forces and taste of the masses. Television presenter

Cui Yongyuan Cui Yongyuan (; born February 20, 1963) is a Chinese television personality, producer, and social media commentator. He is known for leaking information regarding the Chinese film industry's yin-yang contracts leading to Fan Bingbing's removal fr ...

was reported to be unhappy by the film, claiming that director Feng Xiaogang wanted to make a film about a retiring television host based on him.

Accolades

, 2004 ** Market Development Award ** Best Film (nominated) ** Best New Actress (nominated) —

, 2004 ** Best Supporting Actor (nominated) —

** Best Supporting Actress (nominated) —

** Best Cinematography (nominated) ** Best Art Direction (nominated) *

, 2004 ** Best Film ** Best Actor —

** Best Actor (nominated) —

** Best Actress —

** Best Actress (nominated) —

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cell Phone 2003 films 2003 comedy-drama films Chinese comedy-drama films Chinese New Year films Films directed by Feng Xiaogang Films set in Beijing Films with screenplays by Liu Zhenyun Huayi Brothers films 2000s Mandarin-language films