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Review
by Kozo: |
In a random stab at reviewing shot-on-video productions, a
copy of the drama The Troublesome Romance was unceremoniously
loaded into the DVD player. Upon reflection, it may be a while
before we attempt this again.
Alex To stars as Doctor Kwok,
a burnt-out surgeon who's in pain after watching his wife
(Anita Chan) die on the operating table. She actually had
a sizable insurance policy on her life, so the standard insurance
types suspect Kwok may have botched the operation purposely.
Contemplating suicide, Kwok befriends mouthy teen Wi (Grace
Yip), who's thinking suicide of her own. Somehow the two form
some form of friendship, which is further complicated by Wi's
social worker Miss Chan (Joey Man). She wants to help Wi and
is suspicious of Kwok's motives. However, Miss Chan has her
own problems, namely an evil boyfriend (Raymond Tso) who uses
naked pictures of her as blackmail. What are the chances that
these beaten-down Hong Kongers will help one another?
Writer-director Wing Chow's
drama is well-meaning, but so filled with convenient plot
devices and annoying coincidences that it becomes cloyingly
manufactured. The storyline - which mines your standard themes
of second chances, appreciating life, etc. - could have been
cooked up by a high school filmmaker wannabe. The acting doesn't
help much. Alex To and Joey Man acquit themselves well despite
the clunky dialogue, but Grace Yip is blindingly awful. Partial
fault could go to the script, which gives her some truly awful
lines and requires her to screech nearly all of them. And,
special credit must be given to Anita Chan, who shows up as
Kwok's departed wife and recites line upon line of insipid
Yoda-inspired wisdom.
For a shot-on-video production, The
Troublesome Romance is better looking than some of its
bretheren, but it's clear that this is a video film. The film
is loaded with annoying zooms, obvious jittery handheld shots,
and tinny synthesizer music that sounds like fodder for a
TVB serial. Most of the stuff here would work better on television,
anyway. The cloying hokiness is not far from the usual content
of TVB's hit dramas, and with sufficient time to know the
characters such emotional excess can usually be forgiven.
However, in a ninety minute movie it just doesn't work. (Kozo
2002) |
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