A comedy about expats

If there is such a genre as expatriate movies, Shanghai Calling fits the bill perfectly. It is about a Chinese-American attorney finding himself "airlifted" to Shanghai. Contrary to popular belief, Sam Chao is not eager to embrace his Chinese roots.

Humor erupts with cultural clashes. But much of it is not derived from Chao's contact with local Shanghainese, but rather from his exposure to the local expat community, whose members display a knowledge of - and an affinity for - Chinese language and culture that repeatedly makes his - and the audience's - jaw drop.

That twist helps dispel the clouds that surround many movies with cross-cultural setups. Period drama such as The Painted Veil also focuses on expats in China, but the innate inequality between local Chinese and Western residents seeps through despite high-minded efforts to hide the stance of condescension.