Romancing the Star II
With the solid success of the first film in this
series, the second one made its way into the theaters a scant six months
later in the beginning of 1988. Wong Jing was always one to exploit a successful
film if he could and here he is both the director and scriptwriter of the
first two films. While the first one was nearly imbecilic at times in its
attempt at humor – though its frantic silliness often cracked me up – this
one feels relatively more sophisticated and takes great glee in skewering
films, TV and the media. It still has its share of pranks and pratfalls,
but the biggest payoff in terms of comedy are the many film and TV parodies
and its depiction of the rivalry between the two major TV stations in Hong
Kong – TVB and ATV – though using different names in this film.
I almost worry when I like one of Wong Jing’s
goofy comedies - maybe it was just the mood I was in – lightheaded from
not eating all day – but I found this nearly consistently amusing and at
times very funny. There is a parody of Peking Opera Blues that for some
reason just had me laughing like a fool. Maybe it’s simply because I love
that film so much, but seeing it made fun of in a style reminiscent of
an old Sid Caesar routine felt just right. As more evidence of my possible
dementia, I even found Natalis Chan to be more sweetly amusing than annoying
– usually I want to have him horsewhipped and exiled to another time zone.
Some of the routines work well, others die a slow death – but that is sort
of the nature of these films when they are constantly throwing something
your way.
All three of the Romancing films had an enjoyable
“babe” factor – more eye candy than anything – but very fine eye candy
in deed. In this one the film showcases Carina Lau and Elizabeth Lee both
looking scrumptious and yummy (and a third actress whose name I am not
sure of – possibly Aan Ling?). According to the HKMDB this was Elizabeth’s
first film and she sparkles with zest and has a kind of dark shimmering
quality about her that makes you want to meow. I have never quite understood
why her career never took off more than it did – she has a lovely combination
of sexuality and sweetness – she has a distinct look with her dark eyes,
short hair, dramatic eyebrows and delicious lower lip. Other than perhaps
Gunmen and The Greatest Lover, most of her films fell into the “B” list.
This was also one of Carina’s earlier films (her
career began in 1986) – at this point she had not really developed her
smoldering mature sensuality that she was to display within a few years
in films like Days of Being Wild and I am Sorry or the world weary toughness
that she exhibits in Girls Without Tomorrow and Gigolo and Whore. In this
one she is more of a wide-eyed ingénue. Though neither really are
the main characters in this film – that falls on the men – they both have
plenty of opportunity to simply look good in an array of colorful outfits
and by doing a little cheesecake photo shoot at the beach. Elizabeth gets
more face time – Wong Jing is well known for introducing new starlets –
and one could assume that perhaps he was throwing the spotlight on her
to kick-start her career. The spotlight looks fine.
At the end of Romancing the Star I, Chow Yun Fat
had found his love in Maggie Cheung and at the very beginning of this film
he tells garage owner Stanley Fung and his two co-workers Eric Tsang and
Natalis Chan that he is quitting and getting married – and that’s the last
we see of Chow - he was no doubt very busy as he was to star in a
number of films (8) that year. Our three boys are in a bank when it is
robbed and they are taken hostage and become media stars when they are
filmed on TV. With this minor celebrity, they attempt to get a job with
one TV station run by Wong Jing – who had been at the hold up trying his
best to promote some violence for his news to cover – but he boots them
out. It turns out Fung’s nephew Andy Lau is working at the rival station
and he is able to get them a job. This station (read ATV) is getting killed
in the ratings by the better-financed station (read TVB) and the guys are
hired to change that.
First they have a talk show, but they get so annoyed
with their guest who won’t let them talk that they just begin pummeling
him on the set. They are about to be fired when the ratings come in and
the show is a huge hit and they begin beating up their guests on every
show. Fun is also poked at the low budget period shows, melodramas full
of violin music and flashbacks and live TV when the tape of Peking Opera
Blues is lost and Natalis and Eric have to substitute for two of the women
characters. Much of it hits the spot delightfully and with just the right
amount of loving affection for these shows.
The three girls move in next door and as expected
the guys are all over them like cheap melting tar. The girls are being
trained by Wong Wan Si to break into show business – she wants one of them
to be Miss Hong Kong (and she trains her how to look surprised when she
wins), another into TV and the other to win the Best New Talent Award.
Winning these TV sponsored contests is actually the way a number of Hong
Kong stars have broken into the business – Anita Mui for one. Here we get
to hear Carina sing – ouch! But they soon get into the business and are
making period TV shows – and being exploited of course – one scene calls
for them to bathe in a lake – but all props have is a wash basin that the
director is insisting they get undressed in.
Throw in a few other film parodies – two Chow
Yun Fat films – Prison on Fire and An Autumns Tale – and a few that I think
whizzed by me and you have a grab bag of comedy that is quite sweet and
much less crass than Wong Jing typically is. I have to say I enjoyed this
a lot more than I had been expecting – but maybe it is time to get something
to eat.
My rating for this film: 7.5
