If I were to tell you that a film about the sport of cup-stacking – yes, the sport of cup-stacking – is one of the best comedies of the year, you’d laugh me out of the building. But, indeed, I am here to tell you that Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s story is, well, stacked full of fast jokes and furious comedy.
Fast and Feel Love will make you chuckle from title treatment alone. It revolves around Jay, a young woman who has been caring for her boyfriend Kao after he pursues his dream of cup stacking. All in all, their efforts have been worthwhile; Kao is one of the most successful competitors in his chosen sport in the world. It problem is that it is never enough, Kao is always chasing after a faster time and is dismissive of Jay’s efforts and own dreams. When Jay leaves, Kao must learn all the basic adult life skills he has been abandoning in an effort to win her back, whilst also trying to bring his stacking speed down.
Fast and Feel Love is one of those films that is both a perfectly good rom-com-dramedy and a sports spoof movie. In these aspects, examining them separately, they shine. The former is a emotive journey that sees a woman kick-start her boyfriend into gear when their relationship isn’t working and, through tender and sometimes funny moments, her boyfriend learns that he didn’t need her babysitting him – he just needed her. It is sweet as this couple unfolds and learns together. Urassaya Sperbund as Jay and Nat Kitcharit as Kao have great comedy together – even if they frustrate one another.
The latter is a riotous affair where films are parodied across all genres. From the obvious Fast & Furious films to the Avengers and The Dark Knight, as Kao expresses his love for action movies, all this humour comes flowing in, provoking some truly gifted laugh out loud moments. There’s even a skewering of Parasite in the middle of the film. The comedy is somewhat reminiscent of films such as Hot Rod, and is expertly delivered by our leads, as well as a host of characters in sport. Characters with names such as Metal.
The problem is when smushed together, the film doesn’t entirely work and makes it very, very overlong (over two hours ). It gets a bit repetitive and stained towards the end.
Still, it will make you smile until your cheeks hurt and has a really bittersweet ending. It is stunning filmed and highly enjoyable. It’s cups are full!
