Over My Dead Body, a dark comedy satirizing the grim real estate situation in Hong Kong takes an overly-simplistic broadly comic approach to its subject that it's more farce than witty satire, but is sharp enough to never bite off more than it can chew. It'll connect best with the HK youth, exorcising their frustrations by laughing at their worst nightmare realized.
After finding an anonymous corpse lying outside their apartment door, the residents of luxury housing Seaside Heights undergo a night of chaos and shenanigans disposing of the body to prevent the property values from plummeting.
Satires are tricky to pull off on film from their hostile and contemptuous nature. Even when they're well-executed and stab their target just right, they're still cold dishes that are unpleasant to sit through.
In his sophomore effort, writer-director Ho Cheuk Tin continues to show great promise since last year's The Sparring Partner, currently the top contender in the upcoming 2023 Hong Kong Film Awards. Ho directs with much wit. His greatest strength is visualizing his character's imaginations in cinematically interesting ways, which he continues in Over My Dead Body as the cast fantasizes about being 19th century French Bourgeoisie.
Ho's satirical message is so crystal clear from frame one that it risks exhausting its premise in its first hour of hijinks within the apartment building. However, the charming cast delivers enough laughs that the film wraps up nicely before the farce outstays its welcome.
Ever since Chilli Laugh Story, I have been appreciating Ronald Cheng's comedic talents much more in the current phase of his career. Unlike in his younger days, he underplays the comedic situation, mugs less, and displays great comic timing with his line deliveries. Also, Alan Yeung Wai Lun from the Sparring Partner continues to stand out as a new rising star, providing much of the laughs as comic relief.
Yet, something is missing from Over My Dead Body. The film swims on the surface of what it wants to say and never arrives at any kind of deeper understanding. I couldn't say I cared about any of the characters in the traditional screenwriting sense. My interest was mainly in 1) watching how the situation would play out and 2) seeing how many laughs can be squeezed out of the comedy.
That can only take you so far. The jokes were funny but only good enough for a one-time watch.
