This movie is now 12 years old and I have watched it probably at least once a year since I bought it. (this review contains spoilers) There are a lot of reviews here - so I will be brief on the basic story - country boy moves to the city for a summer job and also searches for his true love. Meets sophisticated playboy, troubles ensue.I don't know where the idea comes from this movie is simple or amateurish. I have watched many films and TV shows that are high brow or pretend to be and it is often a bunch of incomprehensible nonsense parading as complicated "art". This film was made at a time when Gay films without sad endings were rare. The only thing that was kind of silly was the part where two characters were lovesick and they were actually physically sick.This movie has it all - beautiful scenery of the city, the parks, Sha-lung beach. Handsome guys, lots of comedy and romance. I loved all the characters - Yu, CC, Richard, Jay, Ray, Tapei Plumber, Alan. I think as a supporting player, Jason Chang as Richard didn't get enough credit. There were a number of cultural things I didn't understand - Tien's friends spraying (what?) on Bai & Richard when they returned from the business trip. The tongue movement at the store in the ending credits. Fantastic music as well. This is a light hearted happy ending comedy that if you are Gay (or even if not) you will enjoy.

This story about a naive 17-year-old coming to the city looking for love just doesn't ring true. Well, true enough, anyway. In his apartment (or dorm room), at the beginning of the movie, there's a poster on the wall for the film Happy Together. Let me warn you--if you admired the gritty realism, film style, and eyes-wide-open anti-romance of that film, Formula 17 is its polar opposite.And in more ways than one. That the virginal student, Tien, even knows about Happy Together--much less admires it enough to display the poster--is completely incongruous with his character. Tien's best friend, with whom he bunks in the city, is a comic character that probably doesn't translate accurately. I can well imagine Taiwanese audiences finding his high queen low comedy hilarious. But I felt I was not only missing language subtleties, some cultural subtleties must have eluded me too. I found very little of his shtick humorous or entertaining. The same goes for the roommate's two friends, also intended to be comic. Not for me.The actor who plays the anti-hero Bai seems to be acting in another movie altogether--maybe an Ang Lee drama, or maybe even Happy Together. His gravitas is a couple of notches above what is necessary for this bit of fluff.Toward the end of the movie Tien's three pals confront Bai. At one point one of them insists that he speak Mandarin. It was at that moment that I felt I'd been completely missing an entire dimension of the movie, something that had to do with cultural and language differences between the characters. Similarly, there are a number of dialog-free scenes that are underscored with untranslated Chinese pop songs. Again, I felt I was probably missing something.I agree, this film has it's heart in the right place. The production is clearly low-budget, but that isn't detracting. The story-line is not very original, but that's not detracting either, really. What was a major minus for me, though, was the feeling that as a non-Chinese speaker, I was missing more than half of what was going on.There isn't much to this movie. But what little is there almost certainly depends upon a thorough understanding of the language and culture to appreciate fully. Without that understanding you're watching a bit of fluff that will strike you as seriously deficient in content and quality. And that may not be entirely true.

'Shi qi sui de tian kong' (FORMULA 17) is a very fine first venture into film making by two young Taiwanese women - Yin-jung Chen, director and Rady Fu, screenwriter - who are unafraid to take on a taboo subject in Taiwan and find some excellent talent and ideas that suggest that there will be more films from them in the future. Though the central theme and two characters of the story are excellent, the movie drifts into wide-eyed burlesque with its supporting cast, and thus the six rating instead of eight.Tien (Tony Yang) is a naive seventeen-year-old from the provinces who comes to Taipei to live with his old friend Yu (Chin King), a bartender in a gay bar, for a summer. Tien is gay, a virgin, and intends to stay a virgin until he is in a meaningful love relationship. Yu is suffering from a relationship that is tainted by distance, but he sees the need to introduce Tien into the active gay life in Taipei - and to put an end to Tien's virginity. Together with Yu's friends (way over the top flamboyant kids) Tien is introduced to gay bars, is set up with hunks, but he holds to his values - until he eyes 30-year-old playboy Bai Tieh-nan (Duncan Lai), a lothario famous for his one night stands. We gradually learn that Bai is a sensitive hunk with issues who is afraid to fall in love, hence his one night stand rule. The story at the core of this film is how the two ultimately fulfill each others' ideals and needs.Much of the film dawdles in stereotypical situations and poorly acted and directed excursions into the bar scenes, but the work of Duncan Lai and Tony Yang makes the film credible and well worth watching: both men are handsome, talented actors who develop a fine screen chemistry. For all its weak points, FORMULA 17 is a film with a big heart and a gay film that manages to deal with some important issues of fidelity and honesty instead of focusing on merely the superficial. In Mandarin, Cantonese, English with subtitles. Grady Harp

Director Chen Ying Rong debuts in an all-male movie that exposes a unique view of gays in Taipei. Perfectly cast for the role, Tony Yang Yo Ning plays a naive, 17-year old teenager (Tien) who ventures off to the big city in search of "true love". Courageous, honest and innocent in chasing his goal in love, Tien gets attracted to the popular 30-year-old playboy Pai (Duncan Lai) – who Tien fantasizes about giving his first intimately kiss to. A thoughtful movie that takes you into the streets of Taiwan, showing you its exciting nightlife into the famous gay bars Funky and Fresh. Formula 17 follows the success of the gay-themed movie Lan Yu - which won international awards for its artistic and realistic portrayal.This movie starts with the naive countryman Tien. He goes to Taipei to meet his friend who he met online. Believing in "true love", his friend really disappoints him by saying that he would like to have sex with him. "How can we make love if there is not love between us?" Tien asks.Then his 'the one' appears. This stud (Nan) was hurt by his ex-boyfriend, and thinks that he will never fall in love again. But later, he discovers that he's fallen in love with this cute guy. Scaring of getting hurt and hurting Tien, he decides to leave Tien after the romantic night. In fact, this can do nothing but hurts both of them. At this time, Nan knows he has to overcome his fear of intimacy because he has fallen in love with Tien. He prays to God, hoping God can give him one more chance, and getting Tien back. Then the miracle happens, and they two finally get together. This movie also records the pride parade held in Taipei in the late 2003.