Full of wit and a distant cousin to Marc Webb's (500) Days of Summer,Daniel Hsia's feature debut Shanghai Calling is a hilarious and steadypicture featuring an outstanding breakout performance by Daniel romantic comedy that often falls victim to American stereotypes thatwe've grown to see over the years of cinema however, it's delightful tosee those things outside of a New York backdrop or mundane collegetown. Telling the story of a New York attorney Sam (Henney) who is sentto Shanghai, China on business, but when a shady deal threatens hiscareer, Sam, with the help of his relocation specialist Amanda (ElizaCoupe) and others, he grows an admiration of his new 's stylistic tendencies are impressive and while he resemblescertain directorial choices from the likes of Chris Weitz, Marc Webb,even Sofia Coppola among others, he doesn't allow himself or his filmto be taken too serious. Its loads of fun, well-written, and shows apotential promising career that could eventually elevate to smarter,more daring cinematic themes; Hsia's film is a great introduction intohis future arsenal. There aren't the pros without the cons sadly. Hispacing and editing are well put together, but Hsia's story treads tooclose to sappy rom-coms that will annoy the boyfriends of many ladiesaround the the charismatic and incredibly funny Sam, Daniel Henney, probablywell-known for his role as Agent Zero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine(2009), delivers the first great comedic performance of 2013. Involvedand dedicated, Henney takes an A-typical "schmuck guy" role andelevates it to raw magnetism that stands as the actor's finest. Thefilm succeeds purely on his talents as he wiggles his way right intoyour heart. Dare I say this early, Golden Globe consideration? Thoughhighly improbable. The score by Klaus Badelt & Christopher Carmichaelis also pretty sensational as it brings a wonderful accompaniment tosome key the cute, spunky love interest, Eliza Coupe (ABC's "Happy Endings")does the best with the tools she's given. A single mom running fromAmerican life in a predictable and underwritten role isn't the mostinventive or effective manners to showcase your talents. Coupe is stillworth watching. The great Bill Paxton is as underutilized as ever,bringing an unappealing perversion to an American mayor that furtherbuilds the projection that all Americans suck. Keep your eyes on SeanGallagher, who's forced, yet effective role as Brad, is an added joyfull of to foresee and even too cliché for its own good at times, ShanghaiCalling is pure enjoyment and something that may surprise even moreskillful cinematic minds.