My Lucky Star

Year:2003
Director:Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu
Cast:Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah, Ronald Cheng Chung-Kei, Chapman To Man-Chat, Teresa Carpio, William So Wing-Hong, Patrick Tang Kin-Won, Mark Lui Chun-Tak, Josie Ho Chiu-Yi, Ken Wong Hap-Hei, Anya, Ken Cheung Chi-Hiu, Vincent Kok Tak-Chiu, Rain Li Choi-Wah, Alex Fong Lik-Sun, Shawn Yue, Sammy, Siu Yee, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Cheung Tat-Ming, Joe Cheng Cho, Maggie Lau Si-Wai, Audrey Fong Chi-Shuen, Tin Kai-Man
Description:
Lunar New
Year comedies are supposed to be light, funny and
essentially disposable. Mega-cinematic quality is
not required as long as the stars are pretty and the
laughs generally good. My Lucky Star, the latest
Lunar New Year fluff-fest from Golden Harvest ace
director Vincent Kok, certainly fits the bill with
its Feng Shui-themed plot and "fresh" pairing
of Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Miriam Yeung. There's even
a duet between the stars and a passel of "name"
cameos to satiate the star gawkers. They just left
out one thing: the laughs.
Yeung plays Yip Koo-Hung,
an incessantly spritely girl who's known as the "Queen
of Bad Luck." She's overly superstitious and
uses Feng Shui to predict her days, though her success
rate isn't especially high. She believes only one
man can save her: Lai Liu-Po , a celebrated
Feng Shui master who's also a hit with the ladies.
However, his practice has a few important rules, one
of which prohibits him from knowing anyone with the
surname Yip. It seems that long ago, the ancestors
of both Hung and Liu-Po were involved in a Feng Shui
disaster which doomed Hung's family and generally
made a mess of things. Hung is aware of this rule,
and pretends to be named Leung to get around it. She
also is immediately smitten with Liu-Po, which is
hardly surprising because he's played by Tony Leung.
However, numerous obstacles
get in their way. For one, Lai has to get over his
phobia of Yips and realize that Hung is simply too
sweet and good a girl to let go. Since Hung is embodied
by Miriam Yeung, Hong Kong audiences will likely sympathize
with his conflict even though Hung's behavior borders
on stalking. Initial chemistry also doesn't seem to
be a factor as the affection between the two just
sort of appears out of nowhere, and hardly seems convincing.
Then again, this is a Lunar New Year movie, where
convincing storylines and characters are the stuff
of fantasy. Director Vincent Kok definitely comes
through there, as the story and characters of My
Lucky Star aren't very interesting. Having Miriam
Yeung and Tony Leung would seem to be a plus, but
their lack of chemistry makes their casting less successful
than expected.
There are also other
cast members, and nearly all of them are big or medium-sized
names. Ronald Cheng shows up as Liu-Po's Feng Shui
rival, who's working for Hung's evil stepmother and a spoiled popstar . Other names like Mark Lui, Anya,
Cheung Tat-Ming, William So, Shawn Yue, Rain Li, Alex
Fong Lik-Sun AND Alex Fong Chung-Sun show up from
time to time to lend star credibility to the proceedings.
The familiar faces are welcome, but when the most
exciting thing about a movie is wondering who'll show
up next, you know it just isn't very good. And since
the Twins don't show up, the film automatically loses
points.
Eventually, Hung and
Liu-Po must battle the bad guys to assure a future
of good luck for Hung. That battle involves Fung Shui
sequences up the wazoo, Ronald Cheng in drag, planted
drugs and a lighting bolt from the heavens. What it
all means is anybody's guess, but trying to figure
it out is likely not worth the time of most people.
Inebriated Lunar New Year moviegoers may get a chuckle
or two out of My Lucky Star, and the pretty
people could satisfy some, but as it is this is an
interminable film and possibly Vincent Kok's least
successful effort. Last year's Marry a Rich Man
wasn't a very strong picture,
but compared to My Lucky Star, it's a certifiable
Hong Kong Film Award Winner. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is
a remarkable actor, and Miriam Yeung still has potential,
but this film is a misstep for both. At the very least,
the abundance of Feng Shui sequences will thrill those
who find Feng Shui the most exciting thing EVER. However,
if those people exist then I sincerely hope never
to meet them.