Film review: 'That's the Way I Like It'
Watching Glen Goei's "That's The Way I Like It" is like buying one of those discount Top 40 compilation CDs and discovering that the cuts aren't recordings by the original artists, but you decide to keep it anyway because you enjoy hearing the songs.
In other words, while the semi-autobiographical comedy set in disco-era Singapore may borrow liberally from the plots of "Saturday Night Fever", "Strictly Ballroom", "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "Play It Again, Sam", you're still taken with the filmmaker's considerable moxie. It may be a knockoff, but it's a charming knockoff.
Shot in English, the Miramax release could earn a little following with its generous servings of East-meets-West kitsch, not to mention all those booty-shaking cover tunes.
Singapore-raised Goei provides an interesting historical context for his debut directorial effort by setting it in his hometown during the years following its independence from Great Britain. Described as a melting pot where people held a cup of Earl Grey tea in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, Singapore's search for its identity is echoed by that of the film's characters.
For Hock (Adrian Pang), a twentysomething underachiever who works as a grocery clerk and lives at home with his critical parents, salvation comes in the form of the local movie theater, where his beloved kung fu movies have been replaced by something called "Forever Fever".
It is here where an enterprising Goei, obviously unable to secure rights to "Saturday Night Fever", has simply created his own version, complete with a vague Travolta look-alike who for some reason plays Tony Manero with a Southern drawl.
Tony talks to Hock, literally, stepping out of the screen and serving as his mentor. Soon Hock finds himself swapping Bruce Lee for The Bee Gees (or, at least, sound-alikes), taking dance lessons with his childhood friend Mei (Medaline Tan) and entering a disco contest with a cash prize big enough to buy his dream bike.
Meanwhile, back at home, Hock's seemingly perfect, fine-featured brother Leslie (Caleb Goh) returns from med school with a revelation that doesn't exactly sit well with Dad (Lim Kay Siu): He's going to have a sex-change operation as soon as he can come up with the money.
With his family in turmoil, Hock, now wearing pants so impossibly tight that one fears for the well-being of future generations, determinedly presses onward with a little encouragement from his supportive younger sister, Mui (Pamela Oei).
While it's possible to play connect the dots with all the pilfered plotting, writer-director Goei nevertheless manages to infuse "That's the Way I Like It" with an infectious amiability. Even his uneven cast, all speaking the local dialect known as Singlish, make up in personality what they might lack in experience.
Technical contributions add a bit of polish to the cultural color courtesy of cinematographer Brian Breheny ("The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert"), editor Jane Moran ("Strictly Ballroom") and production designer Laurence Eastwood ("Phar Lap"), while costume designer Ashley Aeria has a disco ball dusting off all that vintage polyester.
THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT
Miramax
A Tiger Tiger Films presentation
in association with Chinarunn Pictures
Director-screenwriter: Glen Goei
Producers: Glen Goei, Jeffrey Chiang, Tan Chih Chong
Director of photography: Brian Breheny
Production designer: Laurence Eastwood
Editor: Jane Moran
Costume designer: Ashley Aeria
Choreographer: Zaki Ahmad
Music: Guy Gross
Color/stereo
Cast:
Hock: Adrian Pang
Mei: Medaline Tan
Julie: Anna Belle Francis
Richard: Pierre Png
Boon: Steven Lim
Mui: Pamela Oei
Leslie: Caleb Goh
Father: Lim Kay Siu
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In other words, while the semi-autobiographical comedy set in disco-era Singapore may borrow liberally from the plots of "Saturday Night Fever", "Strictly Ballroom", "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "Play It Again, Sam", you're still taken with the filmmaker's considerable moxie. It may be a knockoff, but it's a charming knockoff.
Shot in English, the Miramax release could earn a little following with its generous servings of East-meets-West kitsch, not to mention all those booty-shaking cover tunes.
Singapore-raised Goei provides an interesting historical context for his debut directorial effort by setting it in his hometown during the years following its independence from Great Britain. Described as a melting pot where people held a cup of Earl Grey tea in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, Singapore's search for its identity is echoed by that of the film's characters.
For Hock (Adrian Pang), a twentysomething underachiever who works as a grocery clerk and lives at home with his critical parents, salvation comes in the form of the local movie theater, where his beloved kung fu movies have been replaced by something called "Forever Fever".
It is here where an enterprising Goei, obviously unable to secure rights to "Saturday Night Fever", has simply created his own version, complete with a vague Travolta look-alike who for some reason plays Tony Manero with a Southern drawl.
Tony talks to Hock, literally, stepping out of the screen and serving as his mentor. Soon Hock finds himself swapping Bruce Lee for The Bee Gees (or, at least, sound-alikes), taking dance lessons with his childhood friend Mei (Medaline Tan) and entering a disco contest with a cash prize big enough to buy his dream bike.
Meanwhile, back at home, Hock's seemingly perfect, fine-featured brother Leslie (Caleb Goh) returns from med school with a revelation that doesn't exactly sit well with Dad (Lim Kay Siu): He's going to have a sex-change operation as soon as he can come up with the money.
With his family in turmoil, Hock, now wearing pants so impossibly tight that one fears for the well-being of future generations, determinedly presses onward with a little encouragement from his supportive younger sister, Mui (Pamela Oei).
While it's possible to play connect the dots with all the pilfered plotting, writer-director Goei nevertheless manages to infuse "That's the Way I Like It" with an infectious amiability. Even his uneven cast, all speaking the local dialect known as Singlish, make up in personality what they might lack in experience.
Technical contributions add a bit of polish to the cultural color courtesy of cinematographer Brian Breheny ("The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert"), editor Jane Moran ("Strictly Ballroom") and production designer Laurence Eastwood ("Phar Lap"), while costume designer Ashley Aeria has a disco ball dusting off all that vintage polyester.
THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT
Miramax
A Tiger Tiger Films presentation
in association with Chinarunn Pictures
Director-screenwriter: Glen Goei
Producers: Glen Goei, Jeffrey Chiang, Tan Chih Chong
Director of photography: Brian Breheny
Production designer: Laurence Eastwood
Editor: Jane Moran
Costume designer: Ashley Aeria
Choreographer: Zaki Ahmad
Music: Guy Gross
Color/stereo
Cast:
Hock: Adrian Pang
Mei: Medaline Tan
Julie: Anna Belle Francis
Richard: Pierre Png
Boon: Steven Lim
Mui: Pamela Oei
Leslie: Caleb Goh
Father: Lim Kay Siu
Running time -- 92 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/15/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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