Definitely not for everyone as it's (a) incredibly slow and (b) long (2 hours and 13 mins on the DVD I rented and (c) has some story lines that absolutely do not work.<br /><br />The cinematography is amazing as having been to Beijing, it truly feels like it when they are out and about. That low-level lighting at night just evokes the whole place. The amusement park is classic but it seems half empty. That's the thing, this is a movie that takes place in Beijing, a city of millions, yet where are the people? The relationships--some work, some don't--but what gets me is some people who try to portray this movie as some sort of comment on globalization. All I see is what has been going on for centuries in most Third World countries--people from the countryside move to the big cities to find a better life. Some do, some don't.<br /><br />The whole movie seems more like a documentary look into people's lives and that is a credit to the acting.<br /><br />But really, if you haven't been to Asia, I can't really see this being worthwhile renting because it moves at a snail's pace and seems intended for those who love to read meaning into everything. All I got out of it was--wow, why didn't I go check out this place called The World when I was in Beijing. It's even more bizarre than Huis Ten Bosch or Canadaland or the other weird Western land ripoff amusement parks I visited in Japan.