Perfect Match
Reviewed by YTSL
Fans of Maggie Cheung should take note that she
looks lovely in this 1991 offering that is yet another of those whose underlying
plot premise is that opposites attract. Although not as elegant looking
as she is now, one of Hong Kong -- nay, world -- cinema's most beautiful
actresses had finally shed off the baby fat that she still had on her in
her early film appearances (e.g., "Police Story" and "Project A II"), allowing
her cheekbones to become more prominent and her overall visage to approach
its angled peak. Additionally, the sight of her gloriously long, glossy
and straight mane in this D&B production prompted me to have hair envy
(in much the same way that seeing Brigitte Lin's thick eyebrows makes me
wish that mine didn't look like they had been plucked in the middle of the
night by some mean person).
On a way less positive note: The above may well be the only good thing(s)
I can state about a movie that should only be seen by Maggie completists.
It did not help that THE PERFECT MATCH's makers didn't make more use of the
Magster's acting ability than they did. For that matter, she was far
from the only individual connected with this thoroughly disappointing production
whose talents seem wasted by producer-director Stephen Shin and whoever else
were responsible for this lame piece of work. In all honesty, the overwhelming
impression this disgruntled (re)viewer got was that there were less demands
made for such as effort and quality on the part of the film's scriptwriter
and cast as there were for tolerance of such as often mean-spirited and juvenile
idiocy passing for comedy from the offering's audience.
A generous dollop of imagination -- and definitely more than a leather jacket,
jeans, a helmet and a big motorbike -- is required as well to conceive of
Maggie Cheung as a tough car mechanic. Ditto re George Lam as a big
name music conductor who happens to be as much an expert at wielding a sword
as a baton. Alternatively, it's not difficult to guess who are supposed
to turn out to be THE PERFECT MATCH in this wannabe romantic movie (though
if one were to judge matters on such as what passes as chemistry between
the top-billed duo, that conclusion would be a far from logical one for people
to reach).
I know that George Lam has his critics but I will assert that he is hardly
the weakest link of THE PERFECT MATCH. Instead, that "honor" falls
squarely on the shoulders of: Jacky Cheung, hamming it up and playing
infantile to the max in his role as Maggie Cheung's character's delinquent
nuisance of a kid brother (who effectively brings together his sister and
the celebrity he sought to blackmail); with a rather colorless Vivian Chow
-- playing his spoilt little rich girl sweetheart cum partner in crime --
not being that far behind in the "most irritating" stakes. And although
veteran comedian Lydia Shum (playing Vivian Chow's character's mother) and
character actor Hui Sui-Hung (whose Chewing Gum character is as ridiculously
nicknamed as the main man's Chopsticks sobriquet) seem to have honestly tried
to be somewhat entertaining, their presence failed to add much to the film.
Still, their appearances did not seem as stupid and superfluous as that of
Yuen King Tan (once more playing a lustful woman), Manfred Wong (making a
cameo appearance as the horny blind friend of George Lam's character) and
Cynthia Khan (playing a cousin of Vivian Chow's character who -- gasp! --
actually does not appear to possess a lecherous nature).
How unfunny was THE PERFECT MATCH? The bottom line is that this feature
length film didn't succeed even once in making me laugh out loud. Something
else to consider is that it was only around this ostensible romantic comedy's
30 minute mark that I finally witnessed something that made me smile (The
fact that it was someone's calling Jacky Cheung "frog face" should be proof
that it doesn't necessarily take that much to tickle my funny bone).
All in all, this dubious piece of work qualifies as the worst movie with
Maggie Cheung in it that I've ever seen (This from someone who has now viewed
34 of them). Here's expressing my sincere hope that there's not (m)any
more skeletal duds like it in her filmographic closet.
My rating for the film: 3.