All-star wackiness that was put together as a quickie benefit for flood victims in China. The plot of the film is basic enough: annoying developer Tsang Siu-Chi (Eric Tsang) schemes to land a multi-billion dollar contract with the Prince of the Kuwaiti Royal Family. The Prince (George Lam in a decidedly unconvincing performance) is a filial son who regrets the passing of his father, so Tsang seeks out his father (Richard Ng) to help him hoodwink the Prince.

Unfortunately, Tsang hasn't seen his dad for ten years, but still needs him, so he pretends to have cancer to lure his father home right before the Prince's visit. Aiding him are his shrewish wife (Carol Cheng) and kiss-ass assistant (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai). Meanwhile, rival devloper Boss Hung (Sammo Hung) plots with workaholic agent Jacky Cheung to steal the contract. All this, plus tons of cameos.

Pretending that this film qualifies as anything but a throwaway lark would be idiotic. The story is strung together with the subtlety of a screaming contest, and the plot turns and twists are hackneyed and lame. The film's ultimate message (Tsang must learn to be filial) is a well-meaning one, but the steps taken to get there are far from creative and/or interesting.

However, everyone involved (including directors Tsui Hark and Clifton Ko) did this film for charity, so decrying their lack of creativity or ingenuity is unfair and even downright rude. If this were supposed to be a good movie, then they probably wouldn't have enlisted 95% of the HK Entertainment circle to appear in the film. The cameos and walk-ons are obviously meant to satisfy fans of "spot the star" games, so The Banquet ultimately does everything it's supposed to. In the end, the most pressing issue about The Banquet may be the whereabouts of some obvious missing HK celebrities. More specifically: were Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-Fat too busy to appear in this film? (Kozo 2002)

image courtesy of Mei Ah Laser Disc Co., Ltd.