‘My DNA says I love you’ Movie Recap

The title is catchy, but then, that’s just about it. The movie fell short of my expectations. I mean it was fun, but something was definitely missing. Can’t pinpoint what though. Maybe, the lack of connection between the leads? I dunno really. Some were saying it’s good. Well, I say it’s rather average.

PS: This is more of a rundown than a recap. 🙂

Movie Recap

My DNA says I love you banks on the premise that the advancement of technology enables humans to control their genes, and eventually, their destiny. With one little pill, anything is possible!

Marlene (Yu Nan), a biologist, and Gigi (Terri Kwan), a sales representative, are roommates who work for a bio-technology company that manufactures gene-altering pills. Though they appear quite normal, each woman has their own unwanted characters to fix.

Having been born with the fat-gene, Marlene used to be super fat. After taking the anti-fat gene pills, she trims down. But she’s still insecure with her looks. Adding to her anxiety is the shaky 3-year long-distance relationship with her workaholic boyfriend.

On the other hand, Gigi is a neat freak. Her clean-gene is said to be 6 times more active than an average person.  She panics and frets over the slightest of dirt, grime or any mess, causing problems to her love life.

After breaking up with her latest boyfriend, Gigi moves back in with Marlene. She then notices the leak on her bedroom and freaks out. Marlene goes out to check on things when someone suddenly sprays water at her. It’s her landlord’s son, Teddy (Eddie Peng). It’s love at first sight for Teddy, but it’s completely the opposite for Marlene.

Teddy repairs the leak and notices a nasty (and yucky!) yellow slime mold.  I’ve got to be honest, the slime mold really is disgusting!  Gigi takes a look and says it’s similar to pollen-scattering mushrooms and it’ll fester everywhere, so he better clean it up fast!

Gigi tries to patch things up with her boyfriend, but then sees him making out with another girl. Depressed and downhearted, she accidentally crashes into somebody (literally).

Not just somebody though. Why, it’s her college sweetheart, Anteater (Peter Ho)! The accident is pretty much a blessing in disguise as Anteater is still an available bachelor and is very much interested in her. Gigi, who forgot how they break up, decides to rekindle their romance. The two starts dating and soon,  gets back together.

They are actually happy like any “happy” couples out there, until Anteater invites Gigi to his apartment for a dinner date. Just as they’re about to do “it”, Gigi spots the things she hates the most. Creepy-crawlies! Litters! The list goes on.

She immediately excuses herself and goes to the bathroom. She tries to swallow the gross, repugnant truth but gets totally freaked out after seeing a used tissue inside the tissue box. Haha! That’s it. She remembers Anteater’s terrible secret. He’s the kind of guy who wears  the same clothes 10 days in a row, the same sneakers for 100 days and he never washes his bed sheets! In short, he’s exactly Gigi’s worst nightmare, a first grade slob down to the core!

She whines and grumbles about the discovery (or rediscovery). Marlene then suggests that she take their company’s latest drug, the  “anti-clean” gene. Gigi feels hopeful, but it’s  rather short-lived as the company cancels the project for its multiple side-effects.

Marlene has her own set of problems too. The anti-fat gene pills are  contaminated and will be pulled out of the market for at least two months.

Gigi is determined to have a normal relationship with Anteater. Thus, she sneakily steals the new, untested drugs to cure her obsession. About the same time, Marlene stopped eating for fear of getting fat.

Eventually, the drug works! Not only could Gigi put up with dirt, she even knows how to get messy herself. Marlene notices the abrupt change and later finds out that her roommate stole the anti-clean pills.

Marlene demands that Gigi return the pills at once. Gigi, however, is being stubborn and insultingly remarks that Marlene’s being jealous. Unlike Marlene, she doesn’t starve herself to death without those anti-fat genes. She’s just insecure and naïve, thinking that her absentee boyfriend is her soul-mate!

Gigi’s words hits home! Nevertheless, Marlene is hurt. Jealous of a selfish woman like her? Ha! She can’t even make her relationships last!

On impulse, Gigi moves out and stays at Anteater’s. And the higgledy-piggledy couple lives a jumbles, untidy life.

Marlene’s worst fear comes true. Gigi suffers the ‘side-effects’. Not one but many. She can’t stop eating, so she starts taking pills that will make her feel full. But then, she becomes too talkative. And so, she resorts to take anti-nagging pills. When she has trouble sleeping at night, she remedies it by taking sleeping pills. The side-effects doesn’t end and now, she has a cabinet-load of drugs!

Things aren’t doing well for Marlene lately. Her boss adviced her to take a leave since she can’t concentrate on her job. Gigi won’t talk to her. And so, when her boyfriend didn’t show up for their anticipated dinner date, she lose it. Teddy, who followed her at the restaurant, takes this opportunity to confess his feelings. But she ain’t ready for confessions just yet and pushes him away. And becoz she doesn’t eat, she’s physically weak. Her outburst worsens the situation and she faints.

She wakes up in the hospital, the ever caring and lovestruck Teddy by her side.

Gigi’s body is fed up with all those drugs. She even finds it hard to eat! She’s not her usual self and Anteater can’t help but remark about it. The past day, she seems to be a different person. She can’t take it anymore. She has made so many changes for him and he still doesn’t appreciate any of it! She packs up and moves out. What’s new? She should stop the moving out-moving in thing!

Remember the yucky yellow slime mold? Well, it mutated to something yuckier, to a toxin-spurting mushroom! Good thing, Marlene wakes up just in time to escape.

She runs to the hotel and stays at her boyfriend’s reserved room. There, she comes to a realization. The “glorious waiting” must stop. If it’s always like this for the rest of her life, then they must break up.

When Gigi went back to the apartment, the mutated mushrooms have already filled the room. With the help of Anteater and Teddy, the two girls remove the nasty thing. But the mushroom (literally) grows on them instead. It’s the effect of the pills they’ve taken!

The only solution is to bake it in the sun. But the weather ain’t helping. In the end, the foursome rushes to the UV ray room at Marlene’s lab. Teddy’s hands got “mushroomed”, so he finds some water to rinse it. Turns out that water is used to incubate the cells used for anti-fat genes.

Thankfully, the UV rays work. After forty minutes, the ladies come out suntanned. Haha!

Anteater gets hold of Gigi’s stack of drugs. He is quite disappointed at her. Gigi reason’s out that it was all for him. She wants to change and make their relationship work. But no matter how hard she tries, it’s still in vain. She gives up and so, they must split-up. But Anteater refuses to accept her reasons. She shouldn’t take pills anymore. If they have problems in the future, they should just eat the “cool down” cake instead.

As for couple no. 2, Marlene and Teddy, things are getting better. Marlene is opening up for Teddy. Work, also proves promising as the mutated mushrooms Teddy rinsed at the lab were actually the much-needed solution for the anti-fat gene contamination.