Granted, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from this 2020 Singaporean comedy drama titled "Number 1", when I sat down to watch it here in 2022.
In fact, I had never even heard about the movie from writers Jaspers Lai and Kuo-Sin Ong prior to watching it. But of course, given my fascination and love for the Asian cinema, then "Number 1" was given a fair chance.
And I must say that director Kuo-Sin Ong delivered an amazing movie here. I was more than impressed with the movie and the level of entertainment that the writers managed to churn out in the storyline. It was such a well-written, enjoyable and heartfelt story that it was difficult not to get swept away by it.
When I read the synopsis for "Number 1", I figured it was probably just a generic comedy, but I will say that "Number 1" is much more than that, so much more actually. The storyline is just incredibly beautiful, and director Kuo-Sin Ong manages to deliver a movie that combines drama and comedy in a good ratio.
Now, I am not particularly familiar with the Singaporean cinema, so I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble that participated in the movie. But they definitely had gotten together a great cast ensemble for the various roles and characters. Lots of good performances put on here in bringing some very colorful, vibrant and memorable characters to life on the screen.
"Number 1" is a movie that I warmly recommend you sit down to watch, regardless of whether you enjoy Asian cinema or not. This is a movie about acceptance, brotherhood (or sisterhood, if you will), being true to one self, not facing others with prejudice and discrimination. And it was just so well written by Jaspers Lai and Kuo-Sin Ong.
My rating of "Number 1" lands on a most well-deserved eight out of ten stars.
