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THE
ATTRACTIVE ONE
AKA:
N/A
Year:
2004 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
"My
name is Andrew Saroch, I am 28 years old and I have a predilection
towards buying mediocre rom-coms". So goes
the line I'll use during the counselling sessions needed to
help me purge myself of this strange obsession. Perhaps 2005
will see a cure for my needless waste of money, but until then
we have 'The Attractive One', another attempt to make Lau
Ching Wan into a romantic idol.
Hugo
(Lau Ching Wan) - restaurant owner and eternal loser in love -
returns home from a fruitless trip to Chiu Chow where his
mother tried to play matchmaker unsuccessfully. On meeting up
with his friend and chef (Chapman To), Hugo learns that a new
stall has opened up on the market he has a keen interest in.
The stall, a pet grooming service, is run by shy newcomer
Yammie (Yung) who hopes to turn her unusual skills into a
profitable business. Hugo quickly befriends her and even
suggests that they combine their seemingly different trades,
something that Yammie agrees to. As their joint venture to
feed the masses while pampering their pets continues, Hugo
learns of Yammie's unrequited love for a doctor who saved her
life while they were at school together. Even though the
grumpy restaurant owner tries to help her, his real feelings
remain hidden and the birth-mark on his face that has
shattered his self-confidence prevents him from saying
anything.
As
with the blurb on the Universe DVD, I've managed to make the
storyline to 'The Attractive One' sound far more appealing
than it actually is. What could've been a tender examination
on the nature of beauty is immediately sacrificed on the altar
of pallid rom-coms. It initially seems that much will be made
of Hugo's large facial birth-mark, perhaps leading to the
expected scenes that show why is a bruised character in an
uncaring world. However, director Matt Chow decides to discard
this idea almost immediately; the actual point of this
character-trait and its complete lack of explanation is a good
example of how uninspiring the whole affair becomes.
'The
Attractive One' adds credence to the argument that directors
of these pale rom-coms all follow some mysterious manual of clichés
and conventions that must be given out at various film
schools around the world. Tender piano music tinkles away in
the vain attempt of igniting an emotion in the viewer as the
director peppers the film with moments of 'zany' comedy and the
good ol' 'rush to the airport' ending. The characters are interchangeable
with the scores of others who people Hong Kong
rom-coms of the past ten years while the ever forgiving
audience is expected to care about the loves of cardboard
characters. While local audiences have tolerated such films in
the past, the poor box-office showing of 'The Attractive One'
might indicate that directors will have to be a little less
complacent in the future.
The
film tries to be a rom-com by affording 50% to each facet -
past failures show how flawed this thinking is. In the past 18
months, two films have showed how a skilful balance of
elements can produce something special: 'Fantasia' was
predominantly a comedy and never tried to be anything else,
managing to be far wittier than any film since; meanwhile
'Turn Left, Turn Right' was primarily a love story, but had
enough moments of subtle mirth to lighten the mood. 'The
Attractive One' has none of the qualities of these two,
instead trying to please everyone while eventually just
frustrating us all.
It's
hoped that Lau Ching Wan will return to form soon as anymore
of these efforts might prove the death knell of his stellar
reputation. After a year in which he's appeared in such
mediocrity as 'Driving Ms. Wealthy' and 'Three Of A Kind', Lau
needs to find a role worthy of his on-screen charisma. Joey
Yung, however, is another in the long line of Cantopop queens
who are keen to be the next Sammi Cheng; judging by Cheng's
recent output, this isn't such a noble goal. Yung works quite
well with Lau, but there's only so many of these superficial
characters a viewer will be prepared to stomach in the future.
When
the closing credits rolled, I opined that I had lost a full
ninety minutes that would've been better used watching one of
these sub-genres more accomplished works - not that there's
many to choose from. 'The Attractive One' is instantly
forgettable while the money spent on it isn't.
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