Fractured Follies

 

Director: Wang Chung
Year: 1988
Rating: 6.5


There is not a lot of substance in this comedic offering from Dean Shek and Cinema City, but it has its charms. These charms reside primarily in the forms of Chow Yun Fat, Joey Wong and Nina Li. With a script that is as fluffy as newly dried laundry, they still manage to create a good-natured little film that I enjoyed for the most part. It wanders about for a bit, but finally finds its way home to a sweet ending. 


A fortuneteller has just informed Joey Wong that “Mr. Right” is right around the corner and sure enough here comes CYF. He is driving a taxi, drops his cigar down his shirt, loses control of the car and crashes into Joey. Her foot is broken and CYF carries her to the hospital. He feels guilty for the accident, but things are not real friendly between the two of them at first. 


Later CYF begins working with her family at their grocery store and an interest is eventually sparked. First though, Nina Li makes her appearance and lights up the screen as usual. Here she is a flirtatious widow who is looking very hard for her fourth husband. The first three died of exhaustion. I can’t imagine what from! CYF looks like a very suitable candidate for number four.     


There are a few other sub-plots thrown at the viewer primarily to get the film to the ninety-minute mark, but none of them really matter. What is fun here is watching CYF behind his horn rimmed glasses act like a nutty Jerry Lewis type. He is constantly mugging for the camera and much of it works.