Leap

 1.5/4

Starring: Gong Li, Bo Huang, Gang Wu

Not Rated (probable PG for Brief Language)

Consider now Gong Li.  She and Zhang Yimou essentially turned the Chinese film industry into an international powerhouse in the 90s, before their personal and artistic relationship imploded 1995, although they did collaborate again on the clunky but visually striking "Curse of the Golden Flower" and the affecting "Coming Home."  She is widely considered to be one of China's most esteemed actresses with her performances earning raves around the world.  And even at 55, she is one of the most glamorous women in the world.

So the question is: why would she choose such a godawful project to be a part of?  Li is notoriously choosy about which films she appears to be in, taking a role once every couple of years.  Having starred in some of China's most well-regarded films, such as "Farewell, My Concubine" and "Raise the Red Lantern," she should have known better than anyone that the script for "Leap" was a disaster.  It's a hodgepodge of half-baked ideas and relationships, and in dire need of focus.  True, she hasn't always piked the best films to appear in.  "Chinese Box" was bad soap opera and "Miami Vice" was borderline incoherent.  Then there is "Hannibal Rising," which, unseen by me, earned a certain degree of scorn.  Still, either nothing from the script she read was filmed or she was paid an exorbitant salary (with a reported net worth of $100 million, she hardly needs the money), the result is that "Leap" is a black mark on her resume.

Maybe she was looking for a change.  The actress is frequently known for playing glamorous women and appearing in historical epics.  "Leap" is neither.  It's a contemporary sports film, and Li does everything possible (including wearing her hair in a bob and putting on glasses) to look frumpy.  Of course, this is Gong Li, so glamor is part of the deal.  She can still dominate the screen with sheer screen presence and an extremely expressive face.

Li plays Lang Ping, a volleyball player who became a folk hero after winning a championship with her team in the 80s.  She became a coach and moved to the US, and ends up defeating her former assistant coach, Chen Zhonghe (Huang), at the Beijing Olympics.  But she decides to move back and revitalize the Chinese team.  Her radical ideas certainly shake up the establishment, but will they work?

"Leap" is a movie in two parts.  The first hour details Lang's experience as a player, under the tutelage of Yuan Weimin (Wu).  Weimin is a particularly brutal taskmaster, pushing the girls to the limit and beyond.  He and Fletcher from "Whiplash" have a lot in common.  The problem is that none of the characters are precisely defined.  They're all indistinguishable from one another, and yet director Peter Ho-Sun Chan wants to develop them all.  It doesn't work.  It's a mess and hard to care about anyone or what they are doing.  The second part is about Ping when she becomes a coach.  This material works better because it narrows its focus, but not nearly enough.

There are a few insights into Chinese history that are interesting, although they aren't developed.  We see a bunch of girls plucked from obscurity to train hard and represent their country, which is a bit of a shock to them.  There's also the emphasis on collectivism and duty to country that is eye-opening to someone from a democratic country.  There is also attention paid to the dueling philosophies of Weimin, who believes that his players' lives should be solely focused on volleyball, and Ping's, who is more of a humanist.

One element that I would liked to have seen explored more is the relationship between Ping and Zhonghe. There is definitely a close bond between the two of them, and he declines the head coach position so she can take it.  Their 30 year friendship is based on memory and devotion, and there's no doubt that Li and Huang have a unique, platonic chemistry.  But like everything else in this movie, it's dealt with in such a slapdash manner that it has no payoff.

"Leap" is frustrating, confusing, and deadly dull.  Gong Li does what she can, but ultimately there's no saving this movie.  It's a loss.

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