Ga yau hei si 2009

It surprised me that this Hong Kong comedic franchise still had some legs to carry on with yet another installment, given that it's been some 12 years since the last film, which started off in 1992 starring Stephen Chow at his element, filled with plenty of "mo-lei-tau" jokes, and its fair share of obvious spoofs from well know movies. It's title ties in with none other than its release over the Lunar New Year period of the year, because it's believed that cinema goers automatically head for the comedies showing in the cinemas. Right, Jack Neo?

Each installment of the franchise share links with one another only in the title of the movie timestamped with the year, and its ending with the usual fanfare song and dance to usher in the Lunar New Year as well. And the second movie in 1993 was actually filmed in Singapore's now defunct and demolished Tang Dynasty City, being one of the rare (if not the only) film to have been done in its entirety at the location. Clifton Ko, who had been assuming directorial duties then, has now turned it over to Vincent Kok, while together with Raymond Wong, they retain producer credits.

Just how zany or irreverent this addition to the franchise can become? Unlike the previous films, the number of direct references for spoof purposes is much more obscure. Gone are the blatant in your face sight gags played just for laughs, and though there are the much touted scenes of emulating Daniel Craig's bare bodied emergence from the sea in Casino Royale, the actual scene is contrary to what the movie still would have you believe. Other references and cameo appearances/spoofs also take on a much subtler approach, so for an audience who blinked, you can forget about any rip-roaring laughter from start to end.

But of course as a comedy, one can't fault the script for trying to piece everything together, resulting in one crazy and messy approach. A huge leaf taken from the Will Smith vehicle Hitch forms the central premise, where a love guru dispenses advice to his clients to help them achieve their objectives, while at the same time finding trouble to practice what he is teaching. Louis Koo's Koo Chai is the Asian Hitch equivalent with some hypnotic powers, being paid by Ronald Cheng's Kei to help his sister Sandra (Sandra Ng) get married, so that he can break the family curse that befalls each of his fiancées. The principles of seduction get into full swing to charm the successful alpha-female with a zilch love life in routines that you can see coming from miles away.

There are however, some excellent one-off scenes, and my personal favourites are the dining table identity crisis scene, as well as a gambling one involving Raymond Wong (given top billing here although he appears only from the halfway mark), Lee Heung-Kam and Sandra's real life dad Ha Chun-Chau, the latter two being her on-screen parents. I guess the filmmakers were quite unsure whether new faces could carry the franchise, so they had to rely on the tried and tested veterans, though folks like Sandra seem to be playing yet another usual character seen in many of her movies. Ronald Cheng though is a personal revelation and has quite the rubber face.

Don't go expecting plenty of hearty laughter, as the set pieces do look more juvenile rather than genuinely funny, and are more misses than hitting the mark.

Tagline: A film of two halves…

Review by Neo: It's been 17 years since the first All's Well End's Well and 12 years since the last one in 1997. Both starred Stephen Chow at the height of his fame. In essence, it is no stranger to anyone who followed Hong Kong cinema to say that it is Chow who made the films better than it should be and probably contributed to the box office success as well. In 2009, producer Raymond Chow (also starring in all three movies), decided to rehash and regenerate that kind of former glory. The problem now is that it is without Stephen Chow and a less stellar cast. Sure, Sandra Ng is still there, but she hardly qualifies as superstar quality. Luckily they managed to cast Louis Koo, aka Dark Chocolate and fellow comedian superstar Ronald Cheng. Adding to the mix is someone that has somehow caught my attention in newcomer mainland actress Miki Shen. So basically you replace Francis Ng with Louis Koo, Ronald Cheng with Stephen Chow and Maggie Cheung with Miki Shen. Sounds like a ripe off for me, but as far as Lunar Chinese New Year comedy are concerned, it really aren't half bad. In fact, the film ends far better than the way it started off. With the first 30 minutes having the capability of making someone fall asleep, but luckily the next 45 minutes, the film somehow redeemed itself and ended up being a half decent piece of film-making.

The movie goes like this; Ronald Cheng is cursed and can't marry until his older sister, Sandra Ng who looks like one of those middle aged lady with a hundred cats or dogs, tie the nods. So Cheng enlisted lady killer love doctor in the form of Louis Koo to woo his sister and then somehow make her feel the love again. Somehow, Koo runs into a cute-eyed mainland chick (played by Miki Shen) and Sandra meets a rich guy in Raymond Chow. Basically, the story does not need to make any sense, but the real problem is when some of the jokes are more annoying than funny, then it just does not feel right.

Sandra Ng is certainly reprising her role, and here she is your typical anger management lady boss who really either needs a holiday or a man to step up on her. Ng is normally a good actress, as seen in Golden Chicken and a host of other flicks, but she can also be over the top and to the point of annoyance. The issue here is that Ng is far more annoying than funny, which further adds to the insult. Luckily, Louis Koo is likable enough without doing much acting and is probably saved by his chemistry with my new flame in the light of Miki Shen. Talking of Miki Shen, I strongly believe that this girl have what it takes to be a star in Hong Kong. She is prettier than Elaine Kong or Janice Man, far better shaped than Gillian Chung and have a kind of cuteness can somewhat rival Charlene Choi. Then again, there is no doubt that I like the girl, so my judgement may be left with some reservation. Still Miki performs well for a newcomer and is probably the only shinning point in this rather uninspiring comedy. Stay tune for a photo gallery of Miki Shen on this site in the coming days.

Almost forgot to mention is Ronald Cheng who is really a hit and miss, while I liked his over acting in Dragon Loaded series, Cheng is more annoying than fun and like Ng, I am not denying the fact that both can actually act, but let's face it, both are far more capable than this. Other actors appear here and there, including a graceful Charlene Choi's cameo who cracked a funny joke at Sandra and the presence of Donnie Yen as a by passer, to mention a few.

So what is wrong with All's Well End's Well 2009 when the formula is basically the same? Remember in 1997, the film was targeted at the Hong Kong audience, filmed in Hong Kong, with Hong Kong locations and ultimately it possesses the Hong Kong feel within it. Fast forward to 2009, the film is filmed in China, the fresh faces are no longer Christy Chung and Maggie Cheung or Gigi Lai, but rather little known Miki Shen and Yao Chen. The film basically does not know what its real target audience is. The result is a film of two halves. One moment it seems to be aligning and cracking jokes in Mandarin and in another it is trying to put across the Hong Kong favour. Targeting at both Mainland and Hong Kong movies, in action films are fine, but when it comes to comedy, the Mainland style does not work for Hong Kong, and vice versa.

All in all, this is basically a film that does not know what it really wants to achieve. Sometimes, aiming for a balance for the best of both worlds cannot be always readily achievable. It is just saying to your employee, I want this done with in a very tight budget and yet demanding the level of quality that is unreasonable given the circumstances. Director Vincent Kok has done better comedies and so have producer Raymond Chow, but those were not targeted at making money in Mainland China. It remains to be seen whether Hong Kong is still a large enough market for comedies to just target on its shores, but in the evidence of All's Well End's Well 2009, it remains an impossible task. Then again, I could be all wrong, considering the state of Hong Kong economy, the film somehow managed to rake in HKD$25 million from the box office, now that's a success in any form of commercial film making … (Neo 2009)

I rate it 5/10

• www.thehkneo.com

The original film with this title, made in the 80's with Maggie Cheung and Ms. Ng, was a frenetic, shrill mess. This one is frenetic, shrill at times, but its not a mess. Actually, this film reminds me of many Hong Kong comedies of the 80's, with improbable but interesting forays into parts unknown, with characters that seem pathetic (one is "Bucktooth Jane", who by the end you love) and with histrionic drama and action. There is much slapstick also. The story itself is simple: Sandra plays a magazine editor who is single and, by a family tradition, if she does not marry, neither can her sibling, Kei (Ronald Cheng). Kei enlists Dick, a good looking love therapist to get Sandra to fall in love and get married. She falls for him, of course, and the madness ensues. Please don't take this film too seriously. Sandra does her trademark mugging for the camera (a trademark of hers, it is endearing) and a few pratfalls, and you just have to love her. Raymond Wong (now I know its an 80's throwback!)shows up along the way, and its great to see him with Sandra. If you liked Hong Kong comedies in the recent past, this one is fun. I've seen good and bad ones (some great, even), and this is a good, fun film. I recommend it.