The New King of Comedy

Don't come in expecting the Looney Tunes level of insanity from Kung Fu Hustle; this flick is subdued in comparison. It still got tons of laughs, slapstick comedy and heart. It lags a bit in the middle but hey, any new Stephen Chow film is always welcome. Even his lesser movies are way more fun than most of the dreck they populates streams like Netflix.

As a English speaking American I didn't think I would find myself here, however I recently rewatched Kung Fu hustle which at that point was the only Chow movie I had seen and decided to go down the Stephen Chow rabbit hole arriving here. Whoever said comedy doesn't translate was wrong because I don't speak mandarin and this movie had me actually laughing. It does depart from Chows typical over the top style but I loved it. This movie had a perfect amount of comedy and drama for me and I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.

I like Chow's old movies made in Hong Kong. They are all with casting with super new actors, brilliant and logical plot, ultra funny. His school undercover movie series are the most memorable. That are classics for most of the Hong Kong people.

This movie, though still full of funny elements, and again super new actors, however, the plot is not rich enough. The story is too simple and one dimensional.

But by watching his new movies I can have the feel of his old movies. The hairstyle of a knife stick on the hair of the female lead with blood, the male snow white..... All remind me of his past movies. His out of frame thinking and shots are simply amazing. It just stimulate your mind to be more creative.

Not a very successful movie, but still worth seeing.

You have to like Steven Chau as a writer, a sharp social critic, before you're qualified to evaluate his work. It's like being totally in tune with a particular person on aspects of life, views, taste, interaction, to be critical of him/her as a person. I'm a diehard fan of Steven Chau from day one and everything he does (and I believe he puts his heart and soul in every project he's made) I appreciate. I of course is a Cantonese person, and grew up in the same social environment as he, despite our age difference.

This film was at first not intended to be made, much less shown. I heard (no proof here) Steven had a contract with a conglomerate to produce 5 blockbusters in 5 years but by the last Chinese New Year season his current film for this season wasn't ready so instead he produced this film just in time as a substitute. At first I thought such a hurriedly made film must be cheaply made, and shoddy in many areas that required careful handling, but on seeing it, the contrary was found to be true.

In this film, Steven's dialogues, characterisations, plot turns are all meticulously written. Outstanding characterisation are the main character's father, her betraying boy friend, the exaggerated parody on film actors and directors. The story contains many heart rending turns in personal failures, loss, betrayal of trust and love, hopelessness which are typically imbedded in all of Steven Chau's drama, to be given balm at some point in the film with moral victory, love reciprocated, the good's final prevalence.

The film didn't do particularly well in the box office, perhaps because today's viewers didn't appreciate these fine classical qualities for they had expected more slapstick laughs and the like from Chau. But to write a piece that impelled its audience not just to laugh (for the many silliness in the film) but to tear in earnest in compassion for the characters and events is a sure sign of Steven Chau's greatness.

Not exactly a remake, but more another chapter of Stephen's life story. The movie's rotten tomatoes was terrible because the scenes are not very cinematic, on the contrary, the plot, the acting and the idea are on point. Excellent acting from the main character and her father. This is such an incredible movie that you can sympathize and have a good look at your own path. The movie could have been better, but it already made a girl somewhere in Vietnam cry her eyes out and inspired her, that's more than enough. Thank you Stephen Chou.