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Cast:
Stephen
Chow Sing Chi
Christy
Chung
Christine
Ng
Francis
Ng
Wu
Chien Lien
Raymond
Wong
Roy
Chiao
Gigi
Lai
Amanda
Lee
Simon
Lui
Emil
Chow
Action:
Chin
Kar Lok
Producer:
Raymond
Wong
Director:
Alfred
Cheung
Score:
  
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ALL'S
WELL, ENDS WELL '97
AKA:
All's Well That Ends Well 1997
Year:
1997 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
It
seems to be widely thought that the first 'All's
Well, Ends Well' was some kind of comedy classic. I was
far from impressed though and found it to be full of tired
comedy and unoriginal skits. Nevertheless, it proved to be a
massive hit at the box-office and therefore spawned two
'in-name-only' sequels. 'All's Well, Ends Well 97' was the
second sequel and gave Cantonese comic kingpin Chow Sing Chi
the chance to play a very similar character to his appearance
in the original.
The
wealthy father of an extended family is planning to expand his
lucrative restaurant empire into across Hong Kong. He is faced
with a continual struggle, though, as his three sons -
particularly the two youngest - become the cause of constant
frustration and angst. The eldest son (Raymond Wong) is
committed to the family business, but constantly neglects his
dowdy, yet loving wife (Christine Ng) - something which
gradually dawns on her over time. The next son (Francis Ng) is
so obsessed with education that he is now the oldest student
in the entire university. The most awkward, however, is the
lazy, aimless youngest son Kung (Chow Sing Chi) who spends his
time spending his family's money and doing as little as
possible. After viewing their brother's complete lack of
interest in work, the two older brothers play a crual trick on
Kung: they pretend he has won the Hong Kong lottery and is
rich beyond his wildest dreams. Kung is used to frivolous spending, but now he throws his money around without a care
and never realises the trick that's been played on him. When
the truth emerges, Kung is faced with vast debts and decides
to feign insanity to excuse himself from them. As the family
now dote around him, each brother gradually learns the value
of the family and also finds true love.
Chinese
New Year comedy films aren't renowned for their depth and
'All's Well, Ends Well 97' doesn't attempt to change this
unenviable tradition. As with the less than hilarious
original, this 97 update throws spoofs, in-jokes, and lashings
of over-the-top 'comedy' into a confusing blend. While Chow
Sing Chi is usually entertaining, here he plays his typically
arrogant character without ever gaining the viewer's interest;
the standard plot is for Chow's arrogance to be pacified later
on in the film, but this common twist is unconvincingly tacked
on the end here.
'All's
Well, Ends Well 97' stands out thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime
cast that features the aforementioned Chow, a very unexpected
looking Francis Ng and adored actress Christy Chung.
Naturally, even a cast as first-rate as this is certainly no
reason to watch the film - there are too many flaws that
cannot be forgiven. It was a box-office smash on its release,
but 'All's Well, Ends Well 97' is mostly a tired time-waster
that struggles to raise even a sympathetic smile. Chow Sing
Chi completists may want to seek it out, but everyone else
should divert their attention to his many more accomplished
films.
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