This movie has potential and it is one that many people will enjoy. There are definitely some fun parts. But it has parts that many will find slow and others too chaotic which is how I found it.

The story may appear to be different but is really very similar to other rom/coms in many ways. Failing business entrepreneur faces family afraid to admit the truth while the family puts intense pressure on her not only professionally but even more so romantically. The plot device of the five blind dates seems unusual but boils down to forcing some awkward date scenes while the obvious choice isn't considered which is similar to many other movies. And there is a problem even there. The obvious choice really isn't obvious. They have so little screen time together and their eventual getting together doesn't make that much sense.

The blind dates have awkward elements, but they aren't all totally lame like many movies do. There is some creativity and fun in the awkward part of each one.

There is some cultural flavor especially as to how tea is used in Chinese traditions. One reviewer was offended at the "racism" where he thought the Chinese people were denigrated. I didn't see it that way and I have been close with several first and second generation Chinese people. The quirks of the main characters were more personal than national or cultural.

Truth be told, I wasn't harboring the greatest of expectations to this 2024 romantic comedy, when I stumbled upon it by random chance. I opted to sit down and watch it, on account of it being a movie that I hadn't already seen. And on the plus side, I might be positively surprised if I was missing out on a great cinematic experience here.

However, writers Shuang Hu and Nathan Ramos-Park, apparently opted to play it safe here with the script. Play it very, very safe. I mean, they cashed in on every trope available for a romantic comedy. And that ultimately made the movie end up with a bland and generic feel to it. Sure, "Five Blind Dates" was watchable, but it was insanely predictable, and you know the very outcome of the movie from the very beginning.

Of the entire cast ensemble, then I was only familiar with actor Tzi Ma. It should be noted, however, that the acting in the movie was good enough to help carry the movie, and somewhat lift it up and out of that slump it was settling into given the generic script. I am not familiar with leading actress Shuang Hu, whom also co-wrote the script, but she carried the movie quite well.

If you enjoy the run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, then you're in for quite a treat, should you opt to sit down and watch "Five Blind Dates". If you are looking for a bit more than the generic romantic comedy, then you might want to invest your 83 minutes elsewhere.

My rating of director Shawn Seet's 2024 romantic comedy "Five Blind Dates" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Loving the shift in supporting films like this and even better coming from Australia but there needs to be a better way of telling these stories. The set up whilst a little hokey is fine since it is a rom-com and they are not known for innovation. It's the script is rife with cliches, stereotypes, illogical ideas, stupidity and cartoonish banality. Sydney does look beautiful, it's well shot but the director struggles to elevate above the silliness.

Acting ranges from solid (Yosan An, Tzi Ma,Renee Lim) to odd (Desmond Chiang) to outright awful - lead Shuang Hu is just terrible. The character is also very unlikable - why anyone would want to date her is bizarre.

Again let's support these diverse films but have competent writers and directors handling the material.