Tonight Nobody Goes Home
Reviewed by YTSL
Even prior to my checking out this lively family
comedy-drama that she directed plus co-scripted (along with Lee Khan), Sylvia
Chang was someone who awed the heck out of me. After all, it’s not
just that this multi-talented individual can sing as well as act -- and has
song-writing, directing, scriptwriting plus producing credits in addition
to having made appearances in front of the camera in efforts as diverse as
King Hu’s “Legend of the Mountain”, the “Aces Go Places” series, Lawrence
Ah Mon’s “Queen of Temple Street” and Raymond To’s “Forever and Ever” --
but that she also looks to have made sterling contributions to so many of
the often quite demanding projects in which she’s had a hand.
Although TONIGHT NOBODY GOES HOME only has her behind the cameras (rather
than also in front of them), the predominantly Mandarin language film is
yet another effort that provides testimony of Sylvia Chang’s considerable
abilities. Even if nothing else, the Renaissance woman majorly responsible
for this warm and witty work deserves kudos for having had the requisite
clout and inspired idea to assemble a multi-generational cast for it that
includes at least four of her “Eat, Drink, Man, Woman” co-stars (notably
in the form of the late great Lung Sihung, Gua Ah Leh, Yang Kwei Mei, and
Winston Chao) together with a beyond promising protégé of hers
(i.e., Taiwanese singer-actress Rene Liu) plus two charming young(er) men
(in Hong Kong’s Jordan Chan and Alex To). Then there’s the fact of
this entertaining ensemble piece turning out to be much more than the sum
of its already pretty special parts (in large part as a result of its makers
appearing to go out of their way to add intriguing and imaginative dimensions
to its main group of characters).
Pretty much from this enjoyably snappily paced offering’s opening scenes,
the sense could be gained that TONIGHT NOBODY GOES HOME would be full of
not too predictable sights and sounds plus plot twists and turns. All
told, it’s hardly every day that Sihung Lung is to be seen playing a character
-- like this film’s Dr. Chen Pin Yau -- who is openly turned on by swim-suited
young lasses as well as can be spotted in nothing more than a pair of tight
swim trunks (or, like later in the movie, in a bath tub, with nothing more
than a small towel covering up his privates...)! Similarly, shock waves
can’t help but emanate from the spectacle of Gua Ah Leh among a lively looking
group of gyrating men and women; never mind the thought of the veteran actress’
Mrs. Chen character having been party -- be it disapprovingly or not -- to
not just one but two sets of discussions as to the strength of a practicing
tai chi master’s penis.
Adding to TONIGHT NOBODY GOES HOME’s series of surprises is a plot development
that had Lung Sihung’s dentist character leaving his wife and home -- shortly
after celebrating his sixtieth birthday -- to go and live in sin with a younger
woman. Then, before his two flummoxed children (Chen Siming is essayed
by Winston Chao and Xiaoqi by Rene Liu) could adequately come to terms with
this course of action chosen by their father, they found themselves also
having to contend with their mother’s deciding -- seemingly in retaliation
as well as reaction to her husband’s errant act-- to move out herself and
take up residence at the abode of a young man -- named Long Long (and played
by Alex To) -- who she had met one fateful evening at a nightclub operated
by her irresponsible rake of a son!!
In view of all this, it’s small wonder that Xiaoqi -- a bank teller by profession
who might well be the most mature but also killjoy member of this Chen clan
-- was moved to conclude and suggest to her own mate (an insurance agent
cum movie extra named Changgeng portrayed by Jordan Chan) that: “My dad is
being screwed by a woman. Now my mother is screwing a man...”!
As it turned though, only one of the elder Chens was having an extra-marital
affair. And while I’d wager that most people would think a gigolo would
be a more likely candidate to lead someone sexually astray than a kindergarten
owner (even one who takes great pains to point out that she’s actually a
businesswoman rather than a teacher of a children), it’s probably because
they’ve not encountered ones -- be it in real or reel life -- like the guileless
Long Long (essayed by Alex To) and the beguiling Miss Qin (who gets played
by Yang Kwei Mei) before.
Something else that may seem unlikely to many is it being so that an individual
in Long Long’s professional position would have the smarts as well as sensitivity
to suggest to a troubled family woman that it might do one well to “treat
your like children like friends” and “your husband like a lover”. In
all honesty though, one of the last things I was about to do when viewing
as intelligently scripted a work as TONIGHT NOBODY GOES HOME was to quibble
about its characters and their utterances not sufficiently reflecting reality.
This is not least because I was too busy mulling as well as appreciating
such others of its observations and postulations as those which seemed to
seriously suggest that “men are loving and disgusting at the same time” or
sincerely question whether “In this world [of ours], does one really understand
another?” plus when is an appropriate time for someone to be able to guiltlessly
decide “to enjoy life”.
My rating for the film: 8.5