A drunk man bluffs about starting a soccer team on live TV. Now he actually has to do it.
TV sports host Ren Xiaoyu (played by Li Xiang) happens to pass by a fast-food restaurant and spontaneously interviews diner Wang Dashan (played by Li Chengru). Though usually critical of the city team, Wang boasts on live TV that he'll form his own "Baozi Team" to challenge them. His drunken claim is broadcast live, sparking huge excitement among local fans. What started as a bluff quickly spirals into a public spectacle. The station, along with Xiaoyu, is forced to turn the joke into reality. Cultural department chief Qian Ning (played by Li Junfeng) and Xiaoyu scramble to recruit the restaurant’s owner and staff as players. They shut down the shop and begin training with the motto: “We won’t steam buns, but we’ll fight for pride!” Meanwhile, a rival team—the well-funded “International United”—also takes up the challenge, vowing to crush the underdogs. A fierce showdown is about to begin...
Writing
Bluff-to-reality escalation is genuinely funny.
Acting
Li Chengru's drunk bluster carries the whole film.
Practical Effects
Actual restaurant staff playing soccer: glorious chaos.
Director
Liang Tian
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Li Chengru was primarily a xiangsheng (crosstalk) comedian; this was his rare leading film role, and his timing shows.
The film satirizes 1990s-2000s Chinese 'township pride' phenomena, where local teams became symbolic of regional identity against wealthy coastal cities.
CN
