Mighty Baby
Reviewed by YTSL
Last week, I showed “La Brassiere” to my mother
and a couple of family friends -- who proceeded to promptly disabuse me
of my previously held supposition that the uniquely bra themed comedy was
one that all women would love. From the former -- whose favorite
Chinese language filmic offering happens to be the frequently very wacky
“Shanghai Blues” -- came the comment that the 2001 offering was of okay
quality but somehow “wasn’t as funny” as she had anticipated that it would
be. From the latter duo -- two English ladies for which the Patrick
Leung and Chan Hing Kar co-directed effort actually was the second Hong
Kong movie that they had ever checked out (with “My Left Eye Sees Ghosts”
being their enjoyed introduction to the world of Hong Kong cinema) -- emanated
not necessarily positive statements to the effect that the Chan Hing Kar
and Amy Chin co-scripted cum -executive produced work may well be the strangest
film that they have ever viewed.
More recently, my mother and I went to take in
a big screen showing of the “Ultimate Bra” movie’s informal sequel.
Even if she hadn’t said that it was so, the loud laughs that often issued
from her -- rather than just myself and seemingly everyone (else) in the
cinema! -- during the baby (products) filled offering’s well attended afternoon
screening would have provided me with sufficient confirmation of her finding
MIGHTY BABY to be a far funnier proposition than the earlier work with
which this summer 2002 movie has a large number of cast and crew members
in common. At the same time, however, we didn’t have (m)any regrets
about not having exposed our aforementioned English friends to what effectively
constitutes a near flummoxingly bizarre new installment in the farcical
saga which centers on the HKSAR portion of the international business company
whose corporate headquarters are located in Japan; this, more than anything
else, on account of the 109.50 minute effort which Tim Youngs has described
as having only 15 to 20 minutes worth of plot undoubtedly being far too
mind-bogglingly “mo lei tau” in style than and feel -- plus local and insider
joke heavy -- for most newcomers to the Hong Kong film universe to handle.
If the Singapore “Straits Times”’ reviewer is
to be believed, MIGHTY BABY also might hold little attraction for those
who are not fans of: Lau Ching Wan, who once more plays the overgrown boy-man
known as Johnny; Louis Koo, whose initially baby phobic Wayne character
is Johnny’s partner in crime; Gigi Leung, who -- unlike Carina Lau (who
has been relegated in this effort to something akin to a cameo appearance)
-- continues to have a fairly significant role in the shenaniganish proceedings
as Lena (plus is the singer of at least one of the movie’s songs); Rosamund
Kwan, whose Sabrina character is unexpectedly bespectacled plus ditzy;
and/or Cecilia Cheung, who turns out to be rather appealing as an empathetic
baby expert named Boey. At the risk of sounding sexist, I would add
that -- on account of its possessing an extremely high cutesy (tyke) quotient
-- the Hai Chung Man art directed film’s makers do look as well to have
strongly targeted those who are female and youthful (or at least young
at heart), to the extent of being pretty willing to risk alienating those
who possess a masculine disposition.
In any case, a good measure of how one will react
to MIGHTY BABY may be discerned from how one responds to the China Star
production’s cute infant packed opening credit sequence. Ditto re
the offering’s basic, baby (products) focused plot consisting of: the husband
of the Sis Group’s now pregnant top executive (Kanoko is essayed once again
by Chikako Aoyama) making a gift of the B&B baby products company to
her; the Japanese woman, on the suggestion of Carina Lau’s Samantha character,
appointing Lena as B&B’s Hong Kong branch head and Johnny as its chief
designer; and Johnny (whose relationship with the workaholic Samantha had
recently ended) successfully asking his best buddy plus Lena’s boyfriend,
Wayne, to help with the(ir) assignment to produce the ultimate infant product
within six months (and to coincide with the birth of Kanoko and her equally
Japanese -- but also apparently Cantonese language understanding -- spouse’s
(new) child).
As most Hong Kong film fans will probably be able
to predict, complications arise -- and with them, all manner of frequently
far fetched sub-plots and tangents -- in order that the makers of MIGHTY
BABY can jam in a large (enough) amount of often interesting, imaginative
and frankly -- but nonetheless -- idiotic elements into the resultantly
uneven movie. One of them stems from Wayne having a fear of infants
that it is considered professionally as well as personally advantageous
for him to overcome (and provides a fairly logical reason for the inclusion
into the story of Cecilia Cheung’s “more to her than initially meets the
eye” Boey character). Another is the result of Johnny’s hiring of
the eccentric Sabrina to be his secretary. A third involves his appearing
to fall for the character played by Rosamund Kwan. A fourth has to
do with Wayne being suspected of doing the same with another employee of
the -- as with its parent company -- predominantly female firm (perhaps
as a negative reaction to his (now) live-in partner being his boss, at
least during working hours).
However complex, multi-stranded and convoluted
it may seem, I’d actually opine that the (primary) plot of MIGHTY BABY
still is -- and its associated sub-plots also are -- merely the frame on,
and within, which could be loosely hung a diverse (but often cartoonish
in nature) series of comic sketch type situations (and guest appearances
-- of varying size and import -- by the likes of GC Goo Bi, Jim Chim, Vincent
Kuk, Barbara Wong Chun Chun, Tats Lau, Wilson Yip, Chapman To and Rosemary
Vanderbrouke). Of those that would be better seen without the possession
of prior detailed knowledge of them, my personal favorites are: that which
involve a small bowl and baby’s bottom; and another which centers around
a large, bouncy plus humongously expensive envisioned prototype of a baby
product. Suffice to say at this juncture that these guffaw inducing
scenes alone -- along with my liking a lot many of the main members of
this star-studded cast -- ensured that I would derive much enjoyment from
viewing that which is too “all over the place” to be a conventionally good
work but makes up for it by being wildly eager to entertain.
My rating for the film: 7.5