Tom, Dick and Hairy
Reviewed by YTSL
Few would dispute that Tony Leung Chiu Wai
and Tony Leung Kar Fai are among the most well-respected and honored of
Hong Kong actors. Both Little and Big Tony -- as they are affectionately
known by some fans -- also have their share of female admirers (with the
former actually figuring in the American 'People' magazine's Sexiest Men
list and the latter having won lots of French women's hearts with his performance
in "The Lover"). It thus seems safe to expect it to be a treat to
watch a romantic comedy centering on a trio of bachelors that stars this
dynamite duo, and Lawrence Cheng (Someone who definitely cannot match his
co-stars in the looks department but is no slouch in the talent department
either; what with his having producing, directing and scriptwriting as
well as acting credits to his name).
This is precisely what is served up by the then
still fledgling United Filmmakers Organization in the form of TOM, DICK
& HAIRY; a 1993 movie that makes up for what stylistic polish and plot
organization it lacks relative to later UFO productions like "City of Glass"
and "And I Hate You So" with the kind of heart and sense of fun that it
would have served them well to have (had). The zaniness quotient
of this offering surely also should be apparent with the revelation that
the above-mentioned actors don't only play the title roles but also --
at certain points in the work -- those characters' alternately rebellious,
dissatisfied, complaining and not performing as hoped for...penises (Yes,
you really did read that last part of my sentence right and no, I am NOT
kidding)!
Tony Leung Chiu Wai portrays Tom, a man unhappily
betrothed -- for much of this visual but also verbal gag filled film --
to a not particularly nice woman named Joyce (who comes in the formidable
appearing form of Jan Lau). Tony Leung Kar Fai plays the playboy
landlord, flatmate and friend of both Tom and the also unattached -- but
for a different reason -- Hairy (Lawrence Cheng acts as the nerdy, somewhat
effeminate appearing and actually not that hairy guy who also goes by the
name of Giorgio). Although the rather aptly labeled Dick initially
appears to be the one in the position of being able to regularly and successfully
play the field but also have a good woman around to willing provide him
with a "midnight snack" when he wants it/her (Anita Yuen, in only her second
movie, makes her sad Fong character less pathetic than she might have otherwise
been), and Hairy looks to be the member of the triumvirate who makes the
most effort to find a regular partner of his own, it actually is the hitherto
one-woman man, Tom, who hits pay dirt in the love stakes with his encountering
a loveable nightclub girl named Cat (who is warmly portrayed by a luminous
Ann Bridgewater).
About midway into this generally light offering,
Athena Chu puts in an appearance as Pearl, the grown-up younger sister
of Tom who -- to her brother's dismay -- is attracted as well as attractive
to the man who has a poster of Patrick Ewing on one of the walls of his
bedroom and has as his role model the promiscuous (ex-)basketball player
he nicknamed "Lord of Phallus". Playing other characters of some
note in the film are: Michael Chow as an uptight looking man whose
name is rendered in the English subtitles as Michelle (rather than the
surely more correct Michel); Michael Wong Man Tak as a fellow who talks
to flowers like other men would with women; and Vivian Chow, in a cameo
appearance both as herself and a lookalike named Francis (Similarly, I
have to wonder whether it should actually be Frances?). Suffice to
say in this review of TOM, DICK & HAIRY that the paths of these individuals
do cross -- with eventful repercussions and interesting results -- with
that of the movie's three primary characters.
TOM, DICK & HAIRY is somewhat uneven in tone,
doesn't always seamlessly hang together and can sometimes almost seem too
playful for its own good. It also has some prime parts that may well
work better by themselves than as portions of this Peter Chan and Lee Chi
Ngai co-direction's disjointed whole (E.g., the episode at the beach involving
Tom, Cat and some middle-aged swimmers, and the church scene which contains
an in-joke for those who know Carina Lau's Chinese name along with her
real life connection to Little Tony). Still, I do very much appreciate
the air of jolly possibility -- as characterized by Dick's hearty Ja-jambo
"call to arms" cry and the cast's performance of a song and dance set to
the 1960s musical number with that name! -- that wafts through much of
this ensemble piece. Additionally, while the Chinese New Year offering's
conclusion might not be to the satisfaction of everyone, this (re)viewer
did like it that quite a few of the movie's plot twists did not end in
obviously predictable ways.
My rating for the film: 7.5
DVD Information:
Distributed by Mei- Ah
The transfer is not bad - clean picture - but
it is NOT Letterboxed and the subs are often cut off on the side.
NOT Letterboxed
Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks
The subtitles are burnt on Chinese and English
- and often difficult to read
There is a trailer.