Be There or Be Square (1998) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film is primarily set in Los Angeles, where the two main characters navigate immigrant life in a sprawling metropolis of opportunity. The story also briefly returns to Beijing, connecting the characters to their family responsibilities and roots beyond the American dream. The diverse neighborhoods and Chinatown culture serve as a backdrop for cross-cultural exchanges.

• los angeles
• beijing
• setting
• immigrant life
• chinatown

Liu Yuan is a carefree Beijing native living in Los Angeles, working as an occasional film extra and cemetery plots salesman. He moves through life with roguish charm and a reluctance to settle down, chasing chance encounters rather than plans. His romantic optimism leads him to stage an elaborate hoax to win Li Qing, revealing a stubborn streak beneath his laid-back exterior.

• liu yuan
• ge you
• main character
• beijing
• los angeles

Li Qing is a resilient, independent Chinese immigrant woman who remains in Los Angeles after an initial separation from Liu Yuan. She transforms her circumstances by shifting from house sitting to working as a cleaner, eventually building her own florist shop and becoming a Mandarin teacher for Chinese Americans. Her journey reflects significant personal growth within the immigrant experience.

• li qing
• xu fan
• main character
• immigrant
• florist
• mandarin teacher

The movie explores three interconnected themes: love as a force that persists through disasters and perseverance; diaspora representing the immigrant experience of building a life across borders while navigating identity and belonging; and deception as both a comedic device and a vehicle for discovering genuine commitment and trust between characters.

• themes
• love
• diaspora
• deception
• immigrant experience

Through Li Qing's career progression from house sitter to cleaner, then florist and Mandarin teacher, the film echoes the classic immigrant journey of building a life across borders. Their partnership also bridges communities, including Mandarin classes for LAPD officers, showcasing resilience within diasporic life. The story highlights how transnational ties shape personal growth and mutual support.

• immigrant experience
• diaspora
• chinese american
• los angeles
• mandarin

A series of misdirections drives the plot, with Liu Yuan willing to bend reality for love through an elaborate hoax. Their misadventures include arrests and encountering a traveling agency that is actually a disguised human smuggling ring. The humor of deception gradually gives way to deeper honesty between characters, ultimately becoming a vehicle for discovering commitment and trust.

• deception
• hoax
• plot
• trust
• human smuggling

Two emotionally mismatched strangers collide through comic, fateful encounters, suggesting life has a sense of humor about romance. Their relationship endures disasters, from a restaurant hold-up to a mistaken arrest, yet deepens as they learn to rely on each other. The hexed pattern of meetings underscores a romance that resists easy closure and grows through perseverance, culminating in commitment after a crisis.

• romance
• love
• relationship
• perseverance
• couple

Los Angeles serves as the film's primary setting, a sprawling metropolis symbolizing both opportunity and the challenges of immigrant life. The citys diverse neighborhoods and Chinatown culture frame the characters' experiences, highlighting the cross-cultural exchanges that define their journey in pursuing the classic American dream.

• los angeles
• setting
• american dream
• opportunity
• immigrant life