2 Become 1

Year:2006
Director:Law Wing-Cheong
Cast:Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah, Richie Ren, Wu Yujun, Jo Koo, Louie Castro,Guo Tao, Liu Xiangjing, Justin Lo, Gordon Lam Ka-Tung, Fung Hak-On, Hui Siu-Hung, Lam Suet, Florence Kwok Siu-Wan, Bonnie Wong Man-Wai, Eddie Cheung Siu-Fai, Maggie Siu Mei-Kei
Description:
Miriam Yeung gets breast cancer in the entertaining,
though sometimes contrived comedy-drama 2 Become
1. Yeung is Bingo Leung, an advertising exec who
discovers her malady in a manner that can only be
described as romantic comedy gold. Bingo starts a
night of hot-and-bothered passion with lady-killer
clinical psychologist V , only to have
him palm her left breast and suddenly pause. After
a look of obvious concern, he begins closely examining
it because he suspects something is not quite right.
However, she kicks him out thinking that he's a pervert,
and won't listen to any of his deadly important excuses.
It's only after some more mistaken-intent shenanigans
that she finally visits the doctor, and discovers
the horrible truth: she may need to have her left
breast removed via mastectomy. This does not sound
like it's going to be Love Undercover 3.
Losing your left breast
is a very big deal, but Bingo takes it with a "chin
up, let's be positive" attitude that actress
Miriam Yeung could sell in her sleep. The reigning
queen of Hong Kong comedy is as mouthy and active
in 2 Become 1 as she is in any of her trademark
romantic comedies. What that means is we get plenty
of Yeung giggling girlishly, harranguing other people,
and generally acting in a mouthy, sassy manner. This
attitude comes into play big time with V, who may
have discovered her potentially fatal disease, but
is still treated like a persona non grata by
Bingo. Even worse, Bingo kicked V in the groin after
he went touchy-feely on her left breast, the result
being that his equipment doesn't work like it used
to. His impotence naturally upsets him, so he reinserts
himself into Bingo's life to try to correct matters.
She wants nothing to do with him, but like a bad penny,
V keeps turning up.
Which is great for Bingo,
because she could use the help. Bingo's life with
breast cancer may start off on an upbeat, "let's
be positive" note, but it soon heads south. That's
because Bingo is determined to beat the disease without
actually going through with a masectomy, leading to
all sorts of false hope and sometimes humorous situations
involving alternative medicine, con men, a crappy
office environment, and her screechy friends fighting over the same guy. You'd think
a breast cancer-themed film wouldn't go for laughs - and truthfully, 2 Become 1 really isn't
that funny. What it is, however, is surprisingly engaging.
Director Law Wing-Cheong manages to combine sap, seriousness,
and silliness into a workable commercial mix, and
Miriam Yeung and Richie Ren make an attractive, winning
pair. Yeung is an ace at comedy, and her dramatic
skills aren't so bad either. Richie Ren has played
this sort of character before, meaning he's very good
at it by now. V is a stock male supporting character:
the happy-go-lucky, but exceptionally caring fellow
that any female with a brain would never turn down.
Not surprisingly, Bingo doesn't turn him down - which
is hardly unexpected in a commercial film like this
one. Still, when the moment finally arrives, both
Yeung and Ren make it worthwhile.
Bingo's journey is also
a well-told one, in that it goes from hope to despair
and back again, and manages to entertain along the
way. There's a decent message in Ivy Ho and Fung Chih-Chiang's
script, and many of the scenes between Bingo and V
convey it well. The film's thematic success comes
despite an abundance of feel-good plot devices that
are more contrived and obvious than anything else.
When Bingo decides it's time to get back on the feel-good
track, her transformation comes with the following
subplots: helping her friends make up, helping a wannabe
singer find success,
attending church, helping her colleagues win a big
account from their hated rivals, and probably founding
a support group for Hong Kong actresses battling typecasting.
After a while, we get the message: hope and positive
thinking have powers beyond our imagination. But do
we really need to be reminded of it in so many ways?
Still, preaching and
abundant lessons are rather common in a commercial
drama - especially one that tackles the subject of
breast cancer. Given the subject matter, we should
simply be grateful for a film that mixes in some creativity
and laughs along with the expected sermons. 2 Become
1 certainly does that, and manages to be intelligent
and thoughtful, if not spectacular stuff. Fans of
Johnnie To-produced films can enjoy the numerous appearances
by his regular Milky Way Films players , and Richie Ren and Miriam Yeung show better
chemistry here than in their previous pairing, Elixir
of Love. We've said it before, and we'll say it
again: considering that so few great Hong Kong films
get made nowadays, even an above-average film like
2 Become 1 is cause for celebration. Clapping
politely would be a good response.