Love on Delivery

If you are familiar with the movies of Stephen Chow, then I assume that you are already familiar with "Love On Delivery" (aka "Poh wai ji wong"), the Hong Kong comedy from 1994.

Oddly enough, especially with my interest and fascination with the Hong Kong cinema, then it wasn't before now in 2021 that I stumbled upon this classic Stephen Chow movie. Actually I hadn't even heard about it prior to sitting down to watch it. And with it being a Stephen Chow and a Hong Kong movie, of course I needed no persuasion to sit down to watch it.

This is definitely and without a doubt a classic Stephen Chow movie, in every sense of that phrase. You had a funny storyline, detailed and funny characters, heaps of hilarious situations, with just a pinch of drama and fighting. And it works out wonderfully.

I must admit that I was more than genuinely entertained by "Love On Delivery", especially because the storyline was so funny. But the performances in the movie were also spot on. So what's not to like?

Writer Vincent Kok definitely wrote an interesting and entertaining plot and story for this movie, and director Lik-Chi Lee managed to make the transition from script to screen very well. And needless to say that the acting performances in "Love On Delivery" were good.

Speaking of acitng performances, then aside from Stephen Chow in the lead, this 1994 comedy also has the likes of Christy Chung, and Ka-Sang Cheng, and some special appearances by Philip Chan and Jacky Cheung. So if you are well-traversed in the Hong Kong cinema, then you will definitely see some familiar faces here.

If you enjoy Hong Kong comedies, then I can warmly recommend that you sit down to watch this 1994 movie. Even with 27 years passed since it was released, this is a movie that still proves watchable and holds up even this long afterwards. "Love On Delivery" is a movie that is quite well-worth a watch. My rating of this movie lands on a seven out of ten stars.

My first introduction to Stephen Chow was when I saw Kung Fu Hustle opening day when I was eight years old. I loved every second of the movie thanks to its visual comedy and slapstick, as well as its Abbott & Costello-esque banter between characters. Pretty much every movie that Chow has made and starred in has had similar elements throughout their runtimes, but no other film of his that I've seen has made me laugh harder than Love On Delivery.

Good lord, this is one of the funniest films I've ever seen. This could be described as a "laugh-a-minute" film, but where movies that have that same description might lose the comedic energy they had at the start, this film never once falters in its pacing or its laughs; I don't think there's a single joke that doesn't work, whether it be visual or spoken.

Focusing on a love-struck but cowardly delivery boy who has to fight a karate master to win the heart of a beautiful martial arts student who's searching for a hero, the movie introduces you to a variety of wacky characters that feel like they're ripped straight out of a cartoon, with action sequences that will have you impressed with their choreography as you're doubled over wheezing with laughter.

There are even lots of impressive practical effects on display here, most of them had me scratching my head wondering how the crew managed to pull them off. The film also has an unbelievable amount of heart and charm; the characters are just so genuinely lovable and fun that you can't help but happily go along for the ride and see how all these crazy events that happen turn out.

I seriously can't recommend this movie enough. It's currently on Netflix and I implore you to watch it so it stays on there and hopefully finds a bigger audience. There are so many jokes that'll have you laughing after the film ends and you're going to want to show it to everyone you know. Let's hope this gets a Blu-Ray release someday!

Released in 1994, Love On Delivery (aka King Of Destruction) is a Hong Kong comedy starring Stephen Chow as a naive delivery boy who tries to impress a girl by learning martial arts from a wise master, who may not exactly be the all-knowing badass he claims to be.

Christy Chung plays Lily, a Judo student whose teacher (Joe Cheng) keeps hitting on her. This prompts her to kiss a stranger to get him off her back. The stranger in question is candid delivery boy Ang Ho-Kam (Stephen Chow) who suddenly finds himself falling in love with her. The problem is he just doesn't cut it when it comes to holding his own. After struggling to purchase Jacky Cheung concert tickets to take Lily out on a date (Cheung cameos in the film), he fails to defend her against the Judo master making advances so she breaks it off with Ang, calling him a coward. Defeated, Ang meets a shop owner called Tat (Ng Man Tat) who claims to be a martial arts expert and is willing to teach him, for a price. The price turns out to be all of Ang's money since Tat proves to be a very obvious conman. Can Ang learn... anything about self-defense before Lily gives up on him entirely?

One of Stephen Chow's earliest comedies as (co-)director, Love On Delivery marked his second collaboration with long-time partner-in-crime Lee Lik-chi and its quick pacing in terms of jokes helped establish a new wave of slapstick spoof comedies in the vein of the 70's Michael Hui classics, but with a more modern edge. Chow's trademark style of comedy is very much in full force here, as is his deadpan demeanor. The visual gags get goofier and goofier as the movie goes on and every character is sillier than the next, with the likes of The Terminator, Rocky and Kamen Rider getting spoofed along the way. Tat's effortless scamming of Ang is the highlight of the film as it leads to some truly hilarious confrontations including Ang's discovery of the Fire Spin move which consists of simply grabbing someone then falling down a flight of stairs with them.

About halfway through, the film sees Ang sport a Garfield mask and fight his nemesis, the mean Judo teacher, but the real challenge he has to face is a professional fighter played by Ben Lam who challenges him to a big match after wooing Lily. The fight in question is, of course, a complete farce (think Charlie Chaplin's boxing short film) and provides lots of laughs. This is easily one of Chow's funniest movies and it holds up surprisingly well. Some of his more well known works feel a little overrated at times but Love On Delivery delivers (pun intended) in the most important department: the jokes themselves. One would've liked for Christy Chung to do a little bit more in the second half of the film, since her character was meant to know martial arts as well, but other than that the film makes the most of its fun, energetic cast.

If you're looking to discover the works of Stephen Chow and Lee Lik-chi, then the brilliantly anarchic Love On Delivery is not a bad place to start. It's refreshingly not as gross-out as some of Chow's other films, and the slapstick is supported by a genuinely very funny script, which is not always the case.

A good time.

Not knowing any of Chow's films before seeing Shaolin Soccer, I only heard about this HK comic actor and thought he was just another of the typical broad comedians that come out of the HK film industry. Shaolin Soccer was a real revelation but it could have been a unique instance. Kung Fu Hustle showed me that he was an accomplished comedic talent. I have been trying to find his earlier films and am finally succeeding. I encourage you to do the same.

There's a lot to compare Chow with the classic comedians of the US film industry. Unlike Jacky Chan who has publicly stated his fondness for Buster Keaton, Chow seems to be more related to Harold Lloyd style. A low key personality in crazy situations. Unlike Chan and many other HK performers, Chow never forces his personality over the top. He surrounds himself with inventive situations and great supporting characters. The one unique aspect about Chow is the philosophic nature of many of the characters he plays. This film is a good example.

Lots of very good comic situations and a great climax. The main drawback is the overused wide-angle cinematography which make the film look cheaper then it should. This film has a lot in common with his more famous films so it should be enjoyable.

Good time.

Don't expect any kind of substance in this film (or in most of Chow's films). Director/producer Wong Jing has a knack for putting together ridiculously shallow but hilarious plotlines and throw them altogether like the way one tosses a salad. This film is no different. However, if you like Chow or if you like whacky comedies then you won't be disappointed; it sure has some ridiculously funny moments.