The best fantasy films make one central leap - OK, she's a fish - and let the story flow logically from that point. Unfortunately, "Mermaid Got Married" is such an amateurish film that it must also rely on magic, absurdly unlikely coincidences, and that crutch of the poor storyteller, having the main character speak her thoughts out loud for the audience's benefit. Ekin Cheng plays his usual character, the oh-so-sensitive-and-sincere sap, and the real fantasy of the film is that he is the love interest and not Takeshi Kaneshiro, the smart and sexy student who moves the creaky plot along. Christy Chung does a passable job of playing the mermaid - she just has to giggle, cry, and swim at the right moments. The film falls apart halfway through as it abruptly turns into an unfunny farce. The last few minutes of the film, with a second song and final scene, do not fit with the film and look like they were tacked on afterward to give the film a happy ending. Aside from Kaneshiro, the other redeeming features are the two Faye Wong songs on the soundtrack, both lovely. If you are not feeling well and have stayed home from school or work, this film is as good a way as any to sleep with your eyes open. A mess.
