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For the past few years, the Hollywood summer blockbuster has dominated
the Hong Kong box office, mainly because of the sad state of the
Hong Kong film industry, and the powerhouse of the Hollywood marketing
machine. So it comes as a surprise that a small local comedy film
beats the crap out of the Hollywood heavyweights.
At the moment, Hong Kong
multiplexes have seen the likes of The Mummy Returns, Pearl Harbour
and Evolution - all of which have done reasonably well in Hong Kong,
accumulating much cash to fill those American banks. But when Love
on a diet was released, it trounced those films and beat it to number
one spot, which goes to show that Hong Kong people would still prefer
to see a local production if it is good.
And Love on a diet is rather
good; no, in fact it is damn right good. This gets my vote as the
best HK comedy so far this year, and it stars the same two people
who were in the best HK comedy of 2000 (Needing You). Andy Lau and
Sammi Cheng are becoming one of the best on-screen comedy duos,
and I certainly hope they will go on to participate in more comedies
in the future.
Love on a diet, as you can
see from the pics, is a story about two fatties. The plot is quite
straightforward, and if it weren't for the persona of Mr Lau and
Ms Cheng, would have been quite stale and boring. Watching the two
of them waddling around in their larded-up bodies is a joy to watch
(and worth the price of admission alone).
Mini Mo (Cheng) has gorged
herself to a huge 300lb fatty after waiting for ages for her Japanese
boyfriend, who went off to the States on a scholarship. When he
finally returns, he doesn't even recognise her, and Mini becomes
hugely depressed. She later meets another fat man (Lau) who comforts
her in her hour of need. Mini decides to lose 200lb in six months
so that she can win back her ex-boyfriend, and Lau helps her to
do it. But a problem arises, they have fallen in love with each
other.
The whole film is set in
Japan, and the Land of the Rising Sun makes a worthwhile change
from the usual Hong Kong scenery. Andy and Sammi are almost unrecognisable
in their make-up, and seeing them all dressed up as lard-ass fatties
immediately reminded me of the Eddie Murphy film The Nutty Professor.
There are some instances
where the make-up looks fake, especially in their flabby hands,
but that doesn't detract from this hilarious film. Both Andy and
Sammi's performances are brilliant, and they look believable as
fatties. The charm of the film is watching Sammi lose those pounds,
but it certainly wasn't plausible, for me anyway, to lose 200lbs
in only half a year.
This isn't a film to take
seriously, but a complete laugh-fest from start to the end. There
were some touching moments, especially one right at the end which
nearly brought a tear to my eye, but overall, the film is certainly
one to enjoy, and it will bring a smile to your face when it finishes.
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