Victory
Reviewed by YTSL
Under lesser -- especially less able and sincere
-- hands, this breezy film which centers on a female volleyball team could
have so easily been terribly childish or trashy. As it stands though,
this Teddy Robin Kwan and Andy Chin co-production -- whose Chinese title translates
as "Youthful Spark" -- is full of fun and good cheer. While its standard
sports movie story is quite predictable in terms of eventual outcomes, I'd
wager that many a tolerant viewer will care less about that and exult more
in its possessing such as: A thoroughly catchy theme song (enthusiastically
belted out by Linda Wong); additional giggle-inducing Cantopop moments; pretty
visually nifty sports segments (lensed, like the rest of this offering, by
the wonderful Poon Hang Seng); and a winning cast of young actresses -- some
of whom may yet go on to have eminent Hong Kong movie careers -- along with
Derek Yee as an amiable thorn among the roses.
Carmen Lee (in the lead role of team captain Fai), Fan Yik Man (as vice-captain
Mary Chong), Josie Ho (as a character named Disappearance!), Hilary Tsui,
Farini Cheung, Annabel Lau, Cherry Chan (as the artistic Spring) and Ng Ching
Ching (whose "Broom" character is the "ugly duckling" "towel girl") play
the young women whose university volleyball team's defeat by the formidable
Devil Women (whose uptight coach is portrayed by Wanda Yung) is a huge shock
and humiliation for a side used to winning without too much effort.
Our heroines' upset coach quits after that match. Wah Shui University's
spineless administration -- represented by the morally questionable Chancellor
and nervous Vice-Chancellor -- responds to this by planning to withdraw funding
of a team who had already been under pressure to continue the nine championship
winning streak of its predecessors.
Almost needless to say, our heroines are way less inclined to give it all
up without a fight (At one point, one of then actually quotes a historical
Chinese sage's assertion that "failure is the mother of success").
It also almost ought to go without saying that Erica Lee's script has the
young women battling themselves and among themselves in the process of striving
for the (return) VICTORY they ultimately show a desire to get. One
of the first things they had to do though was to find someone who was willing
to be -- at least in name, if not deed -- their coach. Into the breach
comes Derek Yee's Mr. Ma Chi, a gentle bespectacled biology lecturer who
cares about all kinds of insects and -- among other things -- ends up showing
the lively group of lasses the value of such as fireflies but also friendship
(and possibly first love...or is that just infatuation?).
In general, VICTORY is an ensemble movie which some might say did not make
too many serious demands of its cast as well as its audience. Nonetheless,
a few individuals did stand out among the charming crowd. Derek Yee
probably can't help but do so on account of his character being the one notably
nice guy in the entire film. Nonetheless, what I saw in this film has
not changed my view that it's unfortunate that he seems to have opted for
solely behind-the-camera roles these days. Similarly, I found myself
wishing that Carmen Lee could be lured back to Hong Kong movie making, hoping
that Josie Ho will be given ample room to shine in a way that she has clearly
exhibited that she can, and wondering what fortunes have befallen the likes
of Fan Yik Man since the making and release of this 1994 effort.
On a different note: For this (re)viewer, one of the more enjoyable
elements of this Andy Chin helmed as well as co-produced film is the sense
of innocence found throughout it. Although VICTORY's main characters
are university students, they are more spiritually akin to the "jolly hockey
sticks" girls found in English boarding school stories than the pseudo-sophisticates
who people many a Hollywood movie set on college campuses, and light years
away from the often morally challenged scholarship basketball players of
"Blue Chips", the film perhaps best known as marking Shaquille O'Neal's cinematic
debut. Perhaps this 1994 offering's depiction of Hong Kong university
life is a dated and false one. Alternatively, it might actually be
the case that institutions of higher learning in that part of the world really
then did -- and still do? -- have residence halls with stern matrons who
seek to enforce curfews. In any case, it sure made for an attractive
picture that was experienced by me as a welcome and very nice breath of fresh
air.
My rating for the film: 8.
