This isn't considered one of Stephen Chow's better films by most, but I enjoyed its nostalgia aspects. It was a Chinese New Year film and like many of those it was an ensemble comedy that did very well at the box office only coming behind The Storm Riders and Who Am I for the year. It feels very local mainly set in an egg tart coffee shop. What is more HK than that and its narrative is reminiscent of the old Cantonese films of the working-class vs landlords. Most of the actors were well-known in Hong Kong, both the stars and the character actors.


Within a few years things were to change with Mainland money producing bigger budgeted films that were to appeal to an audience outside of Hong Kong. Chow was to move his operation north, he had a falling out with his sidekick for many years, Ng Man-tat, and small localized films like this have become few. This is more sweet and sentimental than amusing in truth, a little disappointing considering that it is directed by Lee Lik-chi. He has directed some of my favorite Chow films; Love on Delivery, From Beijing with Love and King of Comedy. This falls a little flat as he just goes for a steady diet of goofiness. But it fits in well with traditional New Year films with its happy ending for all and a few laughs along the way.



Ng Man-tat has run an egg tart coffee shop for decades with a staff that includes Stephen Chow, Eric Kot and Lee Siu-kay. Ng lives upstairs with his son played by Daniel Chan. Love comes to Chow, Kot and Chan and the film turns into the slapstick ups and downs of their romance. Then the coffee shop may have to close when the landlady triples the rent, played in ferocious style with a giant mole by Sandra Ng. The three women they fall in love with are not exactly sluggards. Chan bumps into Shu Qi who is eluding loan sharks and he brings her back to his apartment. She is a klutz, but an adorable one. In the outtakes at the end, her laugh is infectious. Kot literally runs into Kristy Yeung and smack dab falls in love. And oddly her with him. Chow spots the first girl he fell in love with back in high school that he messed up badly. He realizes that he still does. Who can blame him played by Sammi Cheng. Towards the end, the film gives up all pretenses of being a comedy and shoots for sweet sentimentality. Much of that lands fine.

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