Have a Nice Day (2017) User Reviews

Animated Neo-Noir from China

[alisonc-1 · 7/10 · 17 July 2017]

Xiao Zhang is a good kid, but his girlfriend had botched plastic surgery and he needs money to get her another operation, so he robs Uncle Liu, a shady crime boss, of a million yuan. Uncle Liu, unsurprisingly, wants it back, so he sends enforcer/hit-man Skinny on Xiao Zhang's trail, but already things are complicated because other people have stumbled across the young man and know what's in his bag…. This is kind of a modern Chinese animated take on "Pulp Fiction," only told in a brisk 77 minutes, including a hallucinatory scene in which one of the couples after the money sing about moving to "Shangri- La." It's extremely recent, as it includes Trump's first press conference after his election win and references to Brexit, but the sort of gritty, down-on-its-luck industrial town in which the events of this single day take place is quite timeless, and the down-on-their-luck characters respond to "free money" in the way humans have since it was invented. Quirky, odd and inventive; if you get the chance, by all means see it!

More money, more problems

[corianderson · 7/10 · 12 November 2017]

A neo-noir animated take on a mob film, following a big bag of money as it moves from one person to the next, suspiciously. At once an absurdist escape and a biting commentary on consumer culture, the movie will captivate big audiences with its homage to films like "The Godfather," "Blade Runner" and the works of Tarantino. The characters are all fascinating in their oddities, and the animation style captures the mood in even the smallest details— like a dog limping in the background or a neon sign flickering on the street. Watch it for the violence, watch it for the dry humor, but definitely watch it because the visual style is artistic, emotional and insanely brilliant.

Bag of .... Problems

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 24 January 2018]

A very strange animated movie ... one that you may think you might have seen as an live action movie. But this thriller about greed (for money as you can guess or just the will to survive, as some may call it), is really well made. While it may take a second (or two) to get yourself into the mood of this movie and its many characters and figure out who is who and what their ultimate goal is (although very similar if boiled down), you will be more than entertained with this, no matter if you watch it alone or with a crowd.

I watched it at a film festival, but since it was the midnight screening there weren't that many people. And it doesn't really contain that many "omg" moments, although it does have quite a few outrageous things in it. So be prepared for this, because this was not made for kids (I do hope you don't show it to little children before you check the rating or the reviews) ...

Great use of light and sound to showcase a decaying landscape

[rbellach · 7/10 · 11 February 2018]

Was lucky enough to catch this in a theatrical screening. Brilliantly captures the feeling of ennui that one can feel in a run-down urban area... cannot emphasize that enough. The art direction in this area more than makes up for the limited animation in other areas. As far as tone goes: its a great dark comedy, very dry sense of humor... I laughed out loud several times. Definitely would recommend trying to seek this out if it plays an arthouse theater near you, or keep an eye out for if/when it arrives on VOD.

animated chases with important subtext

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 25 January 2018]

Greetings again from the darkness. One need only read the credits to understand that this is a personal project of Liu Jian. It's kind of comical to see his name come up as writer, director, illustrator, producer, and editor. He even wrote at least one of the songs featured in the film! An animated film from China that is clearly influenced by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and some modern day madcap caper films offers a nice respite from the typical January releases that hit the theatre.

Jian's film is a crime thriller with socioeconomic subtext that hovers over each scene. An extended opening credits sequence provides the lay of the land (in this case, city) for the upcoming story. There is very little build up to the crime that ignites the cluster that follows. Xiao Zhang steals a bag filled with one million yuan. The bag belongs to "Uncle Liu", a feared crime lord and gangster who sends his trusted and ruthless hitman "Skinny" to retrieve his money.

The old adage, "follow the money", comes into play here. Following the money is not as simple as it sounds, as these aren't brilliant criminal minds at work here. In addition to Tarantino, thoughts of the Coen Brothers came to mind, as did the Scorsese gem AFTER HOURS. Xiao Zhang has no heroic or altruistic motives. He simply wants to pay for a re-do of his fiancé's botched plastic surgery. The zaniness around the money involves many colorful participants, each who have their own designs for the bag.

A couple of odd musical interludes involve Shangri-La and some ocean waves, and there is a God vs. Buddha debate that reminds of the infamous Mighty Mouse vs Superman argument in STAND BY ME. The film played well at festivals and at 77 minutes, it's a briskly-paced chase movie that might have benefitted from a bit more humor.

Impressive animation and style

[Morten_5 · 6/10 · 18 November 2017]

28th STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. DAY 4, NOV 11th 2017. Swedish premiere.

With impressive and stylish animations and a nice humouristic touch, the film offers a satirical criticism on the problems of modern China.

The second feature film from writer-director Liu Jian, after his animated debut "Piercing I" in 2010, "Have a Nice Day" (2017) is a proof of talent and aesthetic vision, promising, with the right financial support for Liu Jian, a filmmaker with clear potential.

A million yuan bag at the center of a noir gangster thriller

[mobilemailer · 9/10 · 18 February 2017]

Everyone and everything in this movie is a "used to be". The gangster boss who finds out that his money was stolen, used to be involved in more important deals. The hit-man who is supposed to get the money back now works at a butcher's shop. His best days are behind him. The hotel where the main character tries to hide for sure has seen brighter days.

The story is set on the edge of any large Chinese city. The drawing style focuses attention on the fact that decay is everywhere. Even though building sites are part of the cityscape at all times.

Brilliantly ironic, even cynical, with a great soundtrack by the Shanghai Restoration Project this animated movie is a definite recommendation.

Literal, linear, lackluster, Lots of Ls

[fastcleaning · 4/10 · 7 October 2017]

Little by way of imagination. A few people left early as the level and depth of thought was obvious. I stayed because it was the last film of the evening for me and I like to give a film a full chance to redeem itself, as they sometimes do. Sorry, but this was a bit painful to me as there was nothing new that hasn't already been done in great blockbuster features. Change the setting, language and animate it. Thin plot, thin character development (typical gangster low lives and peripherals), no laughs, no cries, no pains, just something to pass your time. I could have had a couple drinks at the bar instead.

have a nice day, but don't waste your time on this

[nemesbarna · 4/10 · 2 December 2017]

This movie was the opening film for the 15th Anilogue Animation Festival in Budapest, so I thought it must be great. I watched the trailer, which promises Tarantino's style, but in animation. Spoiler alert: it's not even close.

The background designs are nicely made, but the animation is so lazy, that I almost started crying. There's absolutely no lip-sync, for every dialogue, they use two frames, an open mouth and a closed one. There are no emotion changes in the characters, you can only decode emotions from the voices, and sometimes they even reuse the shots from older scenes. Every movement is layers moving vertically, the cars move like they had no weight, sometimes they didn't take the time to roll the wheels, also it could be much better with a little motion blur, here and there, but to sum the whole thing up. If you enjoy nice animation, this film will be a horrible torture.

The story is not bad, that reminded me of Guy Ritchie's Snatch, but the whole execution is just so embarrassing, that it's impossible to enjoy the good parts of the visual storytelling.Also it's like Tarantino yes, but without any excitement or humour.

I'm sure that they didn't have a big budget, and also few people worked on this film, still it's boring, long, and disappointing.

Downpour of poor quality Chinese cinema continues.

[zelena33 · 2/10 · 12 February 2018]

In retrospect, I probably thought this might have some merit because it was banned in China. But it just goes to show how much further the Chinese authorities are going when it comes to banning incorrect cinema these days; this film's only sin as far as the authorities are concerned, is that it displays bad people doing bad things, which of course do not exist in the Chinese Dream.

I found this dreadfully bad and one-dimensional, so I walked out after an hour. I am really rooting for China to produce good cinema art, but I'm increasingly convinced that it is completely impossible for as long as the current regime is in power. It's all Tiny Times, anti-Japanese WWII propaganda, and vapid animation. I'd rather watch literally anything from South Korea.

Have a Nice Day

[jackson_ro · 5/10 · 22 October 2018]

A cute little cartoon that is full of Chinese flavors and memories from the 90s. It is refreshing to see a cartoon that basically has no Japanese or American flavors, for just this the creators should be applauded for. The story is interesting too, and somewhat befitting of the structure, as it is simple, direct and ridiculous. The ironic humor of the film flows propels then story forward and pokes fun at so many aspects of society, but it can only carry it to a certain extent. The film lacks depth to be truly impactful even though it is full of heart.

Intentionally rough and ugly, but at what cost?

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 5/10 · 25 October 2023]

At first, I didn't like the animation in Have a Nice Day, then I thought "Hey, maybe it'll grow on you," and then after about 50 minutes, I realized it hadn't and I finished the movie not really liking its aesthetics. It's all very rudimentary, basic, and choppy, and while it's probably a stylistic decision some have liked, I really didn't enjoy the overall look and feel.

For being an animated take on a complex crime movie, and clocking in at about 70 minutes long, I guess it's possible to admire Have a Nice Day while also being thankful that it doesn't waste too much time at all. But it's not one I really liked, at the end of the not-very-nice day. When you don't really like the animation in an animated movie, it turns out (unsurprisingly) that it can be something of a dealbreaker.

Experimental

[breadandhammers · 7 September 2020]

This is an experimental piece of animation, so that pacing and feeling is different from a mainstream movie. But at the same time, the art is surprisingly compelling and beautiful to look at. The commentary on Chinese society is also biting.