The God of Cookery

God of Cookery is a hilarious parody of a number of other great HK films (the gambler series, early Jackie Chan, and "Chinese Feast" style cuisine dramas), though I didn't know that when I first saw it... it's how I got into the genre. Because it's satire is so over the top though, you also start to get a feel for the huge differences in film tabus between western and eastern cinema. Production values are amazingly high, and although they "fixed" a couple of hilarious subtitles in the DVD version, at least you can read them in most scenes. The self referential jokes about english translation and subtitles are still there.

The best of Kung Food!

I wish an American distributor had picked up this over-the-top Hong Kong comedy, because it may have helped to break down the unfortunate fact that Americans for the most part are still pretty closed to foreign films. Granted, it's far from a conventional comedy, and not easy for advertising to sum up, but I think this could have been at the very least a sleeper hit on these shores had a distributor patiently opened this across the country.

But you should be able to find this in any good Asian movie rental place in your city. You don't have to worry about any cultural differences - much of the humor is of the international slapstick variety, and even some of the cultural references (like Shaolin kung fu) will be understandable. Now there are some kinds of humor that even had me (who's seen much more of Asian cinema than the average humor) mystified, but there was still a wacky edge to them that made them amusing, even if I didn't know exactly what they were referring to.

The movie is a non-stop barrage of laughs. It does get exhausting at times, and the movie starts to get really sloppy towards the end (the final scene felt very unfinished), but you'll still find much more to enjoy here than in your average American comedy. Even if you end up hating it, you won't be able to deny that you've seen NOTHING like this before!

I've seen all of Stephen Chow's comedies, and The God of Cookery is on the top of my list (right above From Beijing with Love). This film is the perfect "Intro to Stephen Chow" for all the unfortunate people that have yet been subjected to his spectacular brand of humour. If you're a fan of Chinese films, you must see this movie. If you're not, that's just too bad... it's never too late though.

I'm now a proud owner of this hilarious and original film. Full of comedy ranging from the physical silliness of the Three Stooges, to the absurd concept-driven comedy of Monty Python. Another great thing is you get to see Asian cinema making fun of common cliche`s of Asian cinema and animation. There is also a lot of fun references and similarities to the storytelling and cinematography of the Coen Brothers. I can see some ideas may have been borrowed from The Hudsucker Proxy, from 2 years before it. Very enjoyable for those who can read subtitles.

This film is laugh-out-loud material throughout. For those familiar with Hong Kong cinema, you'll get an extra kick out of the razor-sharp spoofs of various genre by Stephen Chow, but even if this is your first-ever HK film you'll find it non-stop laughs.

Chow plays the so-called "God of Cookery", a media hype creation who is a legend in his own mind, but not necessarily the kitchen. When he involves himself in a shady business deal, he is publicly shamed and loses all of his wealth and fame. After meeting up with the tough-as-nails Sister Turkey, a street food vendor (played to the hilt by Karen Mok), he seeks to regain his fame and fortune... but still hasn't quite learned his lesson yet - that takes a bit more plot and dozens more jokes.

Highly recommended! I rate it a 10 out of 10.