“Five Blind Dates” is a delightful romantic comedy that has captured the hearts of audiences with its charming storyline and endearing characters. Directed by Shawn Seet, Five Blind Dates is an Australian movie produced by Amazon Studios and Goalpost Pictures Australia.
This movie follows the story of Lia, a young lady in her twenties who is struggling to operate her dying traditional Chinese tea shop, which she inherited from her adored grandmother. She also faces the idea of attending her younger sister's wedding on her own.
However, Lia receives a premonition stating that the fate of her shop and her love life are inextricably linked, with the secret hidden in one of her next five dates. Under pressure from her family, she agrees to be introduced to five different suitors to better her life.
As viewers laugh and swoon at the on-screen antics, the question arises: Is “Five Blind Dates” based on a true story? Let's dive into the origins of the film to uncover whether this heartwarming rom-com draws inspiration from real-life experiences.
Is “Five Blind Dates” Based on a True Story?
Yes, ‘Five Blind Dates’ is somewhat based on a true story. One of the main actors, Shuang Hu, is also one of the screenwriters for the romantic comedy. She decided to talk to a writer friend about finding a co-writer, and that's how she met Nathan Ramos-Park. They met and hit it off right away.
So, with Ramos-Park's help, she was able to make some events from her real life more dramatic and write a story for them. In an interview with Amazon, Shuang was asked to explain more about where the idea for “Five Blind Dates” came from.
Answering, “It started with a blind date with Nathan, my writing partner…”A friend we both had put us in touch with each other. I told him I was very excited about tea and that I used to own a tea shop in Australia. But I also told him I was very stressed because my family wanted me to get married.
Shuang went on, “We were laughing about how funny it would be if they had to choose our dates. All of these ideas came from my life.” A funny idea that we thought would make a great romantic comedy. She also said in the same interview that her folks were excited for her to get married and have a child.
She blamed their pickiness on the fact that she hadn't found a partner yet, even though she had brought many eligible men to their house, but they didn't like any of them. She also said she might have been married and had kids by now if her parents hadn't gotten in the way of her love life.
At the same time, Shuang said that she, like the main character, put her job ahead of relationships, which was one of the main reasons why none of them worked out for her.
She also said that she might be ready to put time and effort into a relationship and finally make it work now that she is at a certain point in her job. She said, “That's what the movie made me think of.” The day is made up of 24 hours. Because you have to choose between them, it's hard to make a relationship work when your job comes first.
Read More: Is the New Look Based on a True Story?
Shuang told Harper Bazaar that writing “Five Blind Dates” was very helpful for her because she would tell Nathan stories from her own life that she wanted to use in the script. “And because writing requires a lot of knowledge about people, I think that process helped me learn more about myself, why I do the things I do, and maybe why I am where I am in life right now, and the choices that got me here,” she said.
I had to accept it and stop blaming other people. I had to look inside and accept where I was because of the choices I made and be okay with that. That's why it was so helpful. Fun sometimes, but very good for you.” Considering these points, we can say that some parts of “Five Blind Dates” are based on Shuang Hu's life but have been exaggerated for entertainment purposes.
