With the NYAFF officially commencing from my perspective, the first film I decided to watch was a Taiwanese crowd-pleaser called Second Chance, directed by Wen-Yen Kung. Second Chance is what happens when you ask Disney to make Rocky but instead of boxing, the sport of choice is billiards, specifically nine-ball. Once that sinks in, you have to replace Mr. Balboa with an uptight, overachieving high school teenage girl named Shine (Peijia Huang).
That’s the basic premise but there is a bit more to this story as it’s not titled Second Chance for just any reason. While faced with a large debt to retain control of her father’s billiard’s hall, Shine is also confronted by a social worker stating that she must have a guardian if she doesn’t wish to move. Shortly after, her washed-up Uncle, Feng (Wen Yang-shi), and former billiards champ is found and, after a lot of persuasion, he uses this as an opportunity for redemption, not only to step in as a real Uncle to Shine and coach her in a nine-ball championship, but to also make good on mistakes he’s made in the past.
Second Chance is as by the book as it gets when it comes to sports flicks, especially one where there’s a redemptive aspect to it. When the film opened up with a Disney logo my expectations shifted drastically but, like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, it’s a crowd pleaser. It’s chock full of clichés, features plenty of archetypes, but it has a nice message behind it. The real bonus here is that the billiards play, when not computer generated, is pretty damn impressive and we get to see a few billiards celebrities make short and sweet cameos. I have to give the film credit for adding some authenticity to it.
The only problem with the film that I’ll actually dive into is that there really isn’t any intensity when it comes to the competitive billiards aspect. I never felt like Shine was ever challenged once she entered into the tournament. The game of nine-ball never felt engaging until there was something more life threatening on the line. I think that’s why this movie pales in comparison to something like Rocky where he is physically beaten and you want to cheer for a comeback. You don’t feel the need to cheer during this movie, either for Shine or her redemption seeking Uncle Feng, and I believe that lack of pressure and intensity is a major flaw in the film’s storytelling and editing.
Overall, Second Chance didn’t really do much for me but for I can see it being a pleasant family crowd-pleaser. It’s a simple story for those that love billiards or are looking for an entertaining flick with a good message. It may not be as captivating as you’d like it to be, but it’s good enough where it’ll keep kids in their seat for 105 minutes, so long as they speak the native language.
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