“King of Comedy”Japanese Theatrical Poster
Director: Stephen Chow
Cast: Stephen Chow, Cecilia Cheung, Ng Man Tat, Karen Mok, Jackie Chan, Bobby Yip, Bruce Law
Running Time: 99 min.
By Vic Nguyen
Stephen Chow Sing-chi has long been considered the undisputed box office king of Hong Kong Cinema (not discounting Jackie Chan or Chow Yun-fat in their heydays), beginning with the remarkable success of the the Jeff Lau helmed All for the Winners. Ever since then, he has churned out a large number of vehicles that vary in quality, from low brow (Tricky Brains, Love on Delivery, etc.), to well rounded (Forbidden City Cop, A Chinese Odyssey series, King of Beggars), to just plain excruciating (The Lucky Guy, Tricky Master 2000). And yet, despite the lack of effort on a number of these pictures, the box office takes have always remained strong. But with the King of Comedy, Chow is perhaps presented with his most mature work to date, combining his trademark brand of “mo lai to” humor, along with genuine heart and a spirit to entertain that is readily appearant throughout.
Wan Tin-sau is an aspiring actor who operates a local recreation center, teaching acting on the side. At one point, out of sheer luck, he is given a small role in a ‘Killer’ type production, but, because of inadvertantly being a consistent nuisance on the set, he is scrapped off the picture. Again, with luck on his side, he meets Sister Cuckoo, a big name action star who is akin to the kindhearted Wan so much that she casts him as the lead in her latest production. Meanwhile, a nightclub call girl Lau Piu-piu decides to attend Wan’s acting classes (in order to learn to impress her ‘clients’), and, despite her overly indepedent nature and sometimes brash demeanor, they both gradually fall for eachother. And of course, this relationship doesn’t sit well with Sister Cuckoo, who, in additon, also falls for him. Who will Wan choose? What will become of Wan’s fate and career?
The undisputed box office champ in this Chinese New Years movie season (edging out Jackie Chan’s Gorgeous (Chan, in addition, has a small cameo in this pic), the King of Comedy is a well-balanced, fast paced delight of a production. Never before has Chow blended his usual goofy, laugh-out-loud antics with straight laced drama, with the final product working so well. Performance wise, it is not Sing Jai who comes off the best, but surprisingly newcomer Cecilia Cheung Pak-chi, who trancends the somewhat unpleasantness of her character, and in turn, delivers a charming performance, and molds a character with whom the audience could sympathize with. The future is bright for this young performer, and I will certainly look forward to seeing her in future productions. Other acting nods go to Chow himself, who remains consistently watchable and entertaining throughout, and to Chow’s partner in crime, Ng Man-tat, who plays a not-so-friendly caterer with a certain gusto in which only Uncle Tat can play.
And, as usual, there are plenty of Chow-ish antics which will satisfy even his most jaded fans. Certainly, despite being pretty much a drama, he allows a few goofy antics to slip through the cracks, and I thank him for doing so. Although I won’t elaborate too much, just watch out for the snot scene, the debt collection scene, and his parodies of such films as John Woo’s The Killer and Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury. Trust me, they have to be seen to be truly appreciated, as they had me gasping for air, and made me laugh so much that I nearly pissed my pants(well, not really). Also included are some not so subtle references and parodies of various people in the film industry (didn’t that foul mouth, obnoxious gweilo director in the meeting remind you somewhat of Quentin Tarantino?), which adds further seasoning to the stew, and stakes this entertaining production as Chow’s best film to date.
Vic Nguyen’s Rating: 8.5/10
By Raging Gaijin
Ever since 1990’s “All for the Winner”, Stephen Chow has become Hong Kong’s #1 hit-maker, even out-performing Jackie Chan at times. And watching his films, it’s not hard to see why he’s so popular. Although Jackie Chan is arguably the best when it comes to martial arts, Stephen Chow inherently understands how to make a crowd-pleasing movie. He’s able to combine action, comedy, romance, and his own undeniable screen charisma into an entertaining whole.
“King of Comedy” has Chow assuming the role of a loveable loser/underdog, an archetype that he has grown accustomed to recently. He’s great playing these kinds of characters: people who are down on their luck that you can’t help but root for. I’m sure the knee-jerk reaction of a lot of American critics is to label him the ‘Chinese Jim Carrey’ but that’s really not what Chow is about. If anything, his perfect comedic timing and wit is closer to someone like Peter Sellers.
While Stephen Chow is certainly a marvel to watch onscreen, behind the camera he’s something else entirely. “King of Comedy” features what are somehow simultaneously the best and worst aspects of Chow’s filmmaking: his use of unconventional structure and sophomoric humor. Nearly all of his movies utilize these and the former *can* work: in “Kung Fu Hustle”, Chow committed the structural no-no of having the main protagonist off-screen for about twenty minutes during the crucial third act. Somehow he was able to pull this off when most films would have blundered. “King of Comedy” has a free flowing structure where characters enter and exit. The movie seems to move at Chow’s whim, as though scripted on the fly. Sometimes this feels fresh but sometimes you wish the story would get moving.
Chow’s bathroom humor is a little less forgivable. For one thing, there’s a scene involving a naked little kid that’s uncomfortable to sit through. Chalk it up to cultural differences but, come on, it’s still just plain weird. Other gags rely on snot or nose hairs to provoke laughs. And yeah, I’m not going to lie, I laughed. But the frustrating thing is that we know Stephen Chow is capable of so much more than this. He can be funny without being gross. Why go the Wong Jing routine when fans like him a little more sophisticated (like the awesome “Fist of Fury” parody he does elsewhere in the film)? And while a 19 year-old Cecilia Cheung is good in her debut role, she’s still quite young for Chow. Not that I think Chow minded much…
On the action front, Bruce Law’s choreography was a mixed bag. His parodies of John Woo style action were dead-on but during the third act, the film takes a good 15 minute detour into a subplot involving undercover cops (another example of Chow’s nontraditional structure). The shoot-out that follows is presumably meant to be the climax of the film but it’s sorely lacking. Chow is able to hit three different people spaced around the room with his arm seemingly held in the same position each shot. Maybe this is a further parody of the ‘heroic bloodshed’ genre but either way it’s not very exciting.Ý Also, it’s kind of interesting that Chow mocks Quentin Tarantino earlier in the movie and then rips off/pays homage to “Reservoir Dogs” with this scene.
I think that die-hard Stephen Chow fans are going to love this the most. Casual viewers should stick with “Shaolin Soccer” and “Kung Fu Hustle” before they decide to venture further into his filmography. All this said, perhaps I’m being a bit too harsh. The action may be so-so but Chow keeps throwing so many gags your way that you don’t have much time to notice. Some jokes work, some don’t, but Chow keeps trying until he hits your funny bone. I laughed throughout the entirety of “King of Comedy” so if that was Chow’s goal, mission accomplished.
Raging Gaijin’s Rating: 7/10
