|
Review
by Kozo: |
Newly-crowned
Queen of Box Office Sammi Cheng stumbles a bit in her second
strike of summer 2000. This uneven romantic comedy is an amusing
piece of fluff, but it doesn’t go anywhere near the heights
of Cheng’s previous film, Needing You. Jingle Ma directs this story about
Summer (Cheng), a driven HK career woman who’s dumped by her
boyfriend and fired from her job. With little left, she discovers
that the Malaysian beach she co-owns with her cousin is desired
by a developer for upwards of 4 million US dollars. She travels
to Malaysia to sell, but discovers that the new co-owner is
a beach bum named Mor Mor Cha (Richie Ren of Fly Me
to Polaris). Mor Mor Cha refuses to sell, so Summer decides
to stay and persuade him into selling the beach.
As you could expect, opposites attract
and love blossoms, but not before deception and misunderstandings
undermine their new romance. As in all romantic comedies,
the question isn’t if they get together, it’s how. And the
answer to that question is: not in a very compelling manner.
Though Jingle Ma is a wonderful cinematographer, it’s still
questionable if he can actually direct. Hot War was
well-made but bland, Fly Me to Polaris made it thanks
to Cecilia Cheung, and Tokyo Raiders was a success
because it wasn’t supposed to be anything more than silly
fun. The same could be said for Summer Holiday, but
Ma can’t rescue a leaky boat. The script is canned, the plot
predictable, and the side characters poorly cast and written.
All Ma really has to go on are the
gorgeous location (Time to go to Malaysia!) and his two leads,
who acquit themselves well considering the circumstances.
Richie Ren is charming, but his dubbed Cantonese only hurts
the film. Romances need to draw audiences in, but the obvious
dubbing does the exact opposite. Cheng lives up to her new
title of Queen of Romantic Comedy. Despite the fact that Summer
is unsympathetic, Cheng makes her likable by showing a believable
vulnerability. The scene where Mor Mor Cha serenades Summer
is a maudlin piece of writing, but Cheng’s reaction is believable
and heartbreaking, showing more about Summer than is even
said in the film. It’s a pity that the filmmakers couldn’t
have found a way to capitalize on their lovely leading lady,
but Summer Holiday wastes potential like you wouldn’t
believe. Popstar chasers will swoon, but those expecting top-notch
cinema should probably look elsewhere. (Kozo 2000) |
|
