Table For Six is a heart-warming comedy that has its finger firmly placed on Hong Kong's pulse, delivering many laughs and tugging the heartstrings. Writer-director Sunny Chan's precise direction of its play-like set pieces and the chemistry of the ensemble cast make Table For Six a charming crowd-pleaser and easily standup comedian Dayo Wong's best film to date.
Three half-brothers Steve, Bernard, and Lung Chan live together in a renovated industrial flat left by their deceased parents, previously used for their barbecued pork catering business. Steve, upholding the family tradition of hosting family dinners, hires Lung's girlfriend, Josephine, to move in and cook dinner daily for Bernard and Lung.
The family foundations are threatened when during one of the dinner parties, Bernard reveals he's been dating Monica, Steve's ex-girlfriend. Steve starts dating popular social media influencer Meow and invites her to the family dinners. Meanwhile, Lung and his girlfriend Josephine argue about his poor financial situation as a career esports player with no sponsors.
Writer-director Sunny Chan is precise with the comedy, uses a variety of gags, and does a great job balancing humor with the family drama.
There's a crucial plot point that hinges on a wordplay gag on Whatsapp that's done in a refreshingly clever way. Wordplay in Hong Kong comedies has been plagued by the "oh look, the actor swore, therefore ha-ha" trend that Pang Ho Cheung popularized and later beaten to the ground.
Throughout his career, Dayo Wong has struggled to balance his standup comic persona and character acting in his films. In Table For Six, it seems like he's struck that balance. Wong inhabits this lead part with a natural confidence, approaching the part dramatically first and letting his comedic sensibilities come second. I hope he will get recognized come awards season.
The cast shares genuine comedic chemistry. Ivana Wong, Louis Cheung, and Peter Chan are funny. Stephy Tang surprised me in one particular scene concerning a video where she completely stepped out of her pop idol comfort zone. Lin Min-Chen steals the show as Meow, breathing fun youthful energy and keeping things light.
The actors rehearsed the entire script before the shoot and the difference truly shows. Speaking of my own people, Hong Kong audiences are a tough crowd to make laugh out loud and there was a lot of laughter erupting in my theater.
Hopefully, Table For Six will set a new precedent for how Hong Kong comedies are produced. Perhaps we can bid farewell to the half-hearted Lunar Year comedies of the last decade with stars just messing about.
Hong Kong cinema has been identity searching for the last decade, mostly through recreating the 90s' glory days. 2022 has been a great year for Hong Kong cinema, beginning with Chilli Laugh Story, then Septet, Warriors of Future, Table For Six, Mama's Affair, and The Sparring Partner. The lineup of these six films marks the beginning of possibly a new era for Hong Kong cinema. These films tell stories that live in the now-as in 2022, not 1995.
Table For Six connecting so deeply with the local audience was a beautiful thing to have been part of. This film was released on 7th September 2020 and as of the date of this review being posted, 22nd January 2022, the film is still in theaters and an onstage theatrical production is coming in mid-February.
I doubt it will connect with an international English-speaking audience since dialogue-driven comedies are always regional by nature. That's okay. Everybody I know in Hong Kong, my family, friends, and colleagues, have all seen it. It is easily part of the Hong Kong zeitgeist in 2022.
