Jia Ling

Lei Jiayin

Zhang Xiaofei

Yang Zi

Sha Yi

Qiao Shan

Li Xueqin

Ma Li

Zhao Haiyan

Zhang Qi

Shen Chunyang

Xu Juncong

Bu Yu

Zhu Tianfu

Liu Honglu

Wei Xiang

Tao Shen

Zhao Tingting

Fa Zhi Yuan

Joseph Lee Kwok-Lun

Liu Yin

Sun Jibin

Guo Yupeng

Ning Li

Tian Tian

Zhao Nan

Zhou Xiaolin

Shin Adachi

Fei Peng

Drama

Comedy

Action

热辣滚烫

Alibaba Pictures Group

Beijing Big Bowl Entertainment Culture Media

China Film Group Corporation

New Classics Media

Tencent Penguin Pictures

Taurus Film

China

Compared to Jia Ling’s previous work, there has been a significant improvement.

CinemaSerf

"Le Ying" (Ling Jia) is a larger lass who has little success with anything save for half-drinking cola and sleeping for most of the day. She's been left a flat by her grandmother but her soon to be divorced sister "Dou Dou" (Zi Yang) needs some property if she is to be able to continue sending her daughter to private school. After initially agreeing to a transfer, a barney ensues and she storms out determined to find somewhere of her own to live. That means a job. Discipline. She gets a job in a BBQ joint for a boss who's a bit of a lecher, but she can deal with him. It's he who sends her to fetch some cigarettes from his car and that's where she rather curiously encounters "Hao Kun" (Jiayin Lei) who is a boxing coach at a gym round the corner. He's not having much success recruiting new clients so she agrees to be one. Now, on the face of it, she's not the most likely of boxers, but what now ensues sees her face a series of challenges that make her think deeply about who she is and who she wants to become. This reality check is only exacerbated by an appearance on her sister's rather comically cynical television talent show that makes "X Factor" look like "Mastermind" (though it does feature quite an entertaining strop between the panellists). The story itself meanders along a bit too slowly - it doesn't need to be over two hours long, but there can be no denying the effort put in by Ling Jia as her character comes to an empowering degree of self-realisation. It's a bit stereotypical, I suppose, but it's also quite frank and entertaining. It's can be funny, a little poignant and there's just the merest hint of chemistry between the two boxers. I doubt you'll remember it for long, and the ending is a bit of a muddle, but it is worth a watch.