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Review
by Kozo: |
More known for thriller than comedy, director Herman Yau nonetheless
changes gears with this offbeat comedy entry featuring an
interesting cast and a wacky premise. Nick Cheung stars as
Sang, the only son of wealthy celebrity couple Mr. and Mrs.
Han (Kenny Bee and Cecilia Yip). He runs their family business
while his eccentric parents scheme about how to remain in
the public spotlight. They decide to hire a ghostwriter to
pen their family memoir, which is entirely fictitious. Meanwhile,
Sang meets new office lady Kaka (Candy Lo), who was hired
thanks to a recommendation letter from Mr. Han. The two begin
a subdued courtship and eventually decide to get hitched.
The thirty minutes leading to that
plot point are positively aimless. At first it seems that
Herman Yau is aiming for a celebrity satire with the incredibly
strange Mr. and Mrs. Han acting like total loons for media
attention. However, when the Sang-Kaka romance plotline reaches
its turning point, the film's real hook is revealed: Mr. Han
spent a good deal of his youth playing around, and one of
his many conquests was Kaka's mother (Amanda Lee, playing
obviously older than her current age). That means Kaka may
be Sang's half-sister. Then things get more complicated, with
even more duplicity between the parents and Sang, the media
getting involved, gossip at the workplace, and other assorted
name cameos.
Herman Yau has created an overstuffed
comedy that manages to retain some sense of humor thanks to
his even direction. He manages everything with a suitable
subtlety and only occasionally goes over the top with his
direction. However, the whole thing feels so cheap and unnecessary
that calling this film anything other than mildly diverting
would feel wrong.
Happy Family has some small
positives. The comedy is amiable, Nick Cheung and Candy Lo
are surprisingly compatible leads, and Kenny Bee and Cecilia
Yip chew scenery like there's no tomorrow. Still, the whole
exercise is really unnecessary watching. Nothing about the
situations or the production is notable enough to recommend.
Fans of any of the leads might find some interest with the
film, but those hoping that this follows Herman Yau's more
interesting movies (i.e. Untold Story, various Troublesome
Night movies, or Nightmares at Precinct 7) should
probably look elsewhere. (Kozo 2002) |
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