Be There or Be Square (1998) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

Repeated chance meetings and misfortunes bring Liu and Li from an uncertain acquaintance to mutual love and a decision to marry.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

An Unexpected First Reunion

Liu, a Beijing native making a precarious living in Los Angeles, encounters Li while helping a film crew scout a mansion. He persuades her to return to Beijing and buys her a ticket, and they part at the airport expecting never to meet again.

Key Events

• Liu Makes a Living in Los Angeles — Liu lives in Los Angeles and works intermittently as a film extra and insurance agent. Characters: Liu Yuan Location: Los Angeles
• The Film Crew Scouts a Mansion — Liu helps a Beijing film crew scout a suburban mansion. Characters: Liu Yuan Location: A suburban mansion in Los Angeles
• Liu Meets Li Again — Liu encounters Li, a former acquaintance who is house-sitting. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: A suburban mansion in Los Angeles
• Li Plans to Return to Beijing — Liu tells Li she lacks the skills to survive in an American city. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Liu Buys Li a Ticket — Liu buys Li an air ticket to Beijing. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• They Part at the Airport — They part, expecting not to meet again. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Airport

Mishaps Drive Them Apart

A year later, Liu and Li meet again, each living a modest life in Los Angeles. A restaurant hold-up and their unwitting involvement with a disguised human-smuggling agency culminate in arrest, after which Li vows to avoid Liu.

Key Events

• Their Paths Cross Again — A year later, Liu and Li unexpectedly meet again in Los Angeles. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Li's Life in Los Angeles — Li stayed in the United States, rents a cheap apartment, and works as a cleaner. Characters: Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Liu Sells Cemetery Plots — Liu still lives in a travel trailer and now sells cemetery plots. Characters: Liu Yuan Location: Los Angeles
• Restaurant Hold-Up — Liu and Li encounter a hold-up at a restaurant. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Restaurant
• The Agency's Hidden Crime — They work for a travel agency without knowing it is a disguised human-smuggling ring. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Liu and Li Are Arrested — The LAPD arrests Liu and Li after their work for the agency. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Li Ends Contact — Uneasy about their relationship, Li vows not to meet Liu again. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles

A Search and Shared Work

After another year, Liu places an advertisement seeking Li, who has opened a florist shop and teaches Mandarin. They reconnect and establish a Mandarin school for LAPD officers, while Liu's romantic interest becomes increasingly apparent.

Key Events

• Liu Searches for Li — A year later, Liu places an advertisement in a Chinese-language newspaper seeking Li. Characters: Liu Yuan Location: Los Angeles
• Li Builds a New Life — Li has opened a florist shop and teaches Mandarin part-time. Characters: Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• They Open a Mandarin School — Liu and Li establish a Mandarin school for LAPD officers patrolling Chinatown. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles Chinatown area
• Liu's Feelings Become Clear — Through various mishaps, Liu makes no secret of his romantic interest in Li. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Li Recognizes Her Feelings — After Liu's elaborate hoax, Li realizes she values him too. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles

A Farewell and a Flight

Li realizes she values Liu after his elaborate hoax, but news of his mother's serious illness draws him back to Beijing. On the airplane, Li joins him, a technical mishap makes a crash seem imminent, and they confess their love before the problem is resolved.

Key Events

• News from Beijing — Liu learns his mother has suffered a serious cerebral hemorrhage and prepares to return to Beijing. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• A Difficult Farewell — Liu leaves for Beijing without asking Li to follow, knowing she has just obtained a green card. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Los Angeles
• Liu Dreams of a Distant Reunion — On the flight, Liu dreams that he will not see Li again until they are old. Characters: Liu Yuan Location: Airplane
• Li Appears Beside Liu — Liu wakes and discovers Li sitting next to him. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Airplane
• The Flight Faces Trouble — A technical mishap makes the airplane seem to be heading for a crash. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Airplane
• They Confess Their Love — Facing apparent imminent death, Liu and Li profess their love for each other. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Airplane
• The Mishap Is Resolved — The technical problem is resolved shortly after their declarations. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Airplane
• They Decide to Marry — They decide to marry after landing; Li discovers Liu wears dentures after their first kiss. Characters: Liu Yuan, Li Qing Location: Airplane

Story Breakdown

• Los Angeles Beginnings — Liu makes a precarious living in Los Angeles before an encounter with Li changes their paths.
  • Liu's Odd Jobs — Liu works intermittently as a film extra and insurance agent.
  • Mansion Encounter — While scouting a mansion with a film crew, Liu meets Li, who is house-sitting.
• The First Farewell — Liu urges Li to return to Beijing, and they part believing they will not meet again.
  • Ticket to Beijing — Liu buys Li an air ticket after telling her she lacks the skills to survive in the United States.
  • Airport Parting — They say goodbye at the airport with no expectation of another meeting.
• Unlucky Reunion — A year later, they reunite in Los Angeles and become entangled in a series of misfortunes.
  • Li Stays Behind — Li remained in the United States and works as a cleaner.
  • Trouble at Work — Their work for a disguised human-smuggling agency leads to arrest.
• Li Breaks Contact — The arrests and recurring mishaps leave Li unwilling to continue seeing Liu.
  • Restaurant Hold-Up — The pair encounter a hold-up at a restaurant.
  • A Vow to Avoid — Li vows never to meet Liu again because their relationship feels unnerving.
• Liu Seeks Li — After another year apart, Liu takes steps to find Li, who has established herself in Los Angeles.
  • Newspaper Advertisement — Liu places a classified advertisement in a Chinese-language newspaper looking for Li.
  • Florist and Teacher — Li now runs a florist shop and teaches Mandarin part-time.
• A Shared Mandarin School — Liu and Li reconnect through work and rebuild their connection amid various mishaps.
  • LAPD Language Classes — They set up a Mandarin school for officers patrolling the Chinatown area.
  • Liu's Open Interest — Liu makes his romantic feelings for Li clear.
• Feelings Become Mutual — An elaborate hoax helps Li realize that she values Liu too.
  • Liu's Hoax — Liu's elaborate hoax precedes Li's change in understanding.
  • Li's Recognition — Li realizes that she values Liu as well.
• The Journey Home — Liu prepares to return to Beijing for his seriously ill mother, while Li has just obtained a green card.
  • News from Beijing — Liu learns that his mother has suffered a serious cerebral hemorrhage.
  • Unasked Farewell — Liu leaves without pressuring Li to follow him to Beijing.
• Love Above the Clouds — Li joins Liu on the airplane, where a technical mishap brings their feelings to the surface.
  • Li Joins the Flight — Liu wakes from a troubling dream and finds Li sitting next to him.
  • Confession Under Threat — When the airplane seems to be heading for a crash, they profess their love.
• A Comic Resolution — The apparent danger passes, and Liu and Li decide to marry after landing.
  • Technical Problem Resolved — The airplane's technical problem is resolved shortly after their declarations.
  • Dentures After the Kiss — Li discovers Liu's dentures after their first kiss as they plan to marry.

Directed by

Feng Xiaogang

Key Cast

• Ge You — Liu Yuan
• Xu Fan — Li Qing
• Bobby C. King — Masked robber
• Feng Xiaogang — Cameo