Movie Review: Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻

She must be singing; look at Chapman’s face.

It’s no secret that I am literally and figuratively the biggest Wong Jing fan in the world.

He is the Ronald McDonald of Hong Kong cinema: cheap, fast, and unhealthy .

“You forgot greasy, la!”

Okay, that too.

Those same attributes make me the Ronald McDonald of dating. But never mind.

But you have to admit it, even the worst fast food is not without its charms.

Just ask Harriet Yeung.

Like McDeath, Wong Jing is also consistent, reliable, and when you’re in the mood for it, it’s delicious, albeit guiltily so.

I’ll be the first to admit that Wong Jing’s track record hasn’t been great recently.  Although I enjoyed Treasure Inn, Treasure Hunt was, frankly, a turd.

So it was with some ambivalence that I joined the Gang of Film (電影人幫) at Olympic for a very rare non- Dynasty screening of a Wong Jing film. 

The Gang had two extra people at this screening, namely  Ian Powers and his wife. He’s had roles in films like  Future X Cops,  Treasure Hunter, and  Choy Lee Fut, but we invited him anyway. Besides, he was in  Contract Lover, and is very, very funny in it. I suggest you give it a look.

Digression:

Recently, its been a real risk to get optimistic about movies. 2011 was a very bad year for local films, and 2012 hasn’t been much better so far. Quite honestly, it’s got me depressed. I’ve started skipping movies that I realize I won’t like. I just don’t have the willingness any more to surrender 90 minutes of my life to getting angry for what amounts to no good reason. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy and flattered that people enjoy reading my ‘raging reviews.’ I know I entertain people. But it takes a toll. I moved halfway around the word for movies, and they’re sucking about 90% of the time lately.

Good thing I like the food.

It can be a lot of work to drag yourself to what you know will be a bad film. Let’s face it, I voluntarily joined a group of people whose motto is “We watch movies so you don’t have to.”

Our appetite for abuse is formidable.

But fear not, dear readers: I will go watch the new Barbara Wong movie, because its sure to be a disaster like her  last film, and I will sh*t all over it for your entertainment. Soon after that is the new Christine To movie, and  her last film gets the Silver Spleen.  I’m sure her new one will inspire spleen cleaning.

Lest any of you think I am a latent misogynist, see my latest review of a Johnnie To film.

All I ask is that you realize what I go through for you.

End of Digression.

So when I talk about ambivalence going into  Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻, I want you to have a thorough idea of just what I mean, and just what’s at stake, and just what I go through.

I want to look forward to a movie by my favorite director, but experience and intellect tell me it is likely a mistake.

Speed Angels and The Viral Factor tell me that too, but hey, its only February, right?

Still and all, I took the risk, because I love Wong Jing, and love means never having to say you’re sorry.

It’s okay, go vomit and bathe. I’ll be here when you get back.

I don’t have to say I’m sorry, and neither does Wong Jing.

Jesus, now I sound like Scud.

Even a blind pig finds an acorn sometimes, and  Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻 turns out to be a very, very funny movie as wells as a pretty good film.

Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻 is the story of two degenerate gamblers who fall in love, played by Fiona ‘五头’ Sit and Chapman To.

Chapman To is The Five Card Stud. Even though he’s only holding four cards.

They get married:

They promise to give up gambling:

And Chapman To’s character becomes one of the biggest movie stars in the world.

Even though he looks like this.

Naturally, love and life are not easy or simple, and their love is put into peril by their own and other peoples’ actions. Hardly new ground, and its not like it’s a well-sketched backdrop.

Speaking of which, the utterly crap faux Hollywood sign clumsily CGI-ed into an obviously Hong Kong background deserves the Christina Aguilera Award for cheap trash that nevertheless entertains.

But this framework simply makes it possible to string together a nearly constant barrage of jokes, many of them surprisingly profane, and manages to capture the kind of brisk, reckless humor (and entertainment) Wong Jing was once so good at.

I was shocked at how often I was laughing out loud (and that was just reading the subtitles or catching the occasional Cantonese joke). The theater, which was surprisingly full for opening night, roared with laughter almost constantly. It was as if I was sitting in a cinema circa 1988 or something.

God of Gamblers? More like God of  Donuts. 

Chapman To’s comic chops are well-honed, and he’s in top form here. He hits all the right notes and manages to be thoroughly entertaining.

Lord knows I am not a big fan of Fiona Sit, but I have to admit she does well here. I attribute it in no small part to being cast in a role for which she seems suited; a very typical local woman who has her good and bad points.

Thankfully  she never descends into wanna-be-a-teenager idiocy, and when she does indulge in screeching, it is at least called for.

Like when she saw this getup.

I can’t believe I actually said that Fiona’s screeching was called for. But it is.

Which is more than you can say for Harriet Yeung. She’s never called for.

Except for dinner.

Philip Ng does remarkably well in a supporting role. He manages to lend some of the dramatic weight to the film, being serious and believable, but also entertaining.

But he doesn’t turn up in any stills from the movie. You brought this on yourself, Phil.

The whole cast does a great job and everyone gets at least one moment to shine or make us laugh.

The only time Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻 slows down (and/or breaks down) is when the film (over-)aspires to an air of serious drama. Wong’s reach exceeds his grasp.

Real drama is never going to be Wong Jing’s strong suit.

There’s no 13 Orphans in film making. 

When you spend most of your movie showing us characters who are hilariously stupid, inept, or otherwise amusing, its a tough sell to get us to care about them or take them seriously.

“Even when I make this face?”

Thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often, and the comedy returns quickly enough.

I’m not trying to say that Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻 is going to be Film of the Year.

Though to be honest, looking at 2011 and what I’ve seen of 2012, its not a stretch.

What I am saying is that its one of Wong Jing’s strongest movies in years, and it’s well worth the effort and money to go see it in cinemas.

I’ve been intentionally vague and left out even hinting at some of the really great things in this film, because I want  you to go see them for yourself. 

Remember: If we don’t support the movies that deserve it, then we get the movies we deserve.

*Mr. & Mrs Gambler/爛賭夫鬥爛賭妻deserves your support. Go see it.*

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I promise you won’t be disappointed, and you will be entertained.**