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Cast:
Teresa
Mo
Liu
Wai Hung
Sammo
Hung
Raymond
Wong
Wong
Yat Shan
Wen
Chao Yu
Wong
Koon Chung
Gabriel
Wong
Tommy
Wong
James
Tien
Action:
Sammo
Hung
Producer:
Clifton
Ko
Director:
Clifton
Ko
Score:
  
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DADDY,
FATHER AND PAPA
AKA:
Daddy, Father, Pappa
Year:
1985 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
There
are certain expectations that arise when Sammo Hung's name
appears on a cast list. Obviously his name is associated with
top class action and exemplary choreography, but Sammo's a
good enough actor not to have to just rely on this. There's
also the comedic aspect of his cinematic contribution - few
give Sammo enough credit for the quality of his comic timing
and his strong eye for humour. Yet again, though, Sammo need
not be fully focused on this as his screen presence means he
is always magnetic whether the scene is humorous or serious.
The bottom line is that Sammo Hung is one of the great stars
of Hong Kong's diverse film industry and just his appearance
is the main reason to look forward to a production.
Unfortunately, the fact that I admire Sammo so much may have
been the greatest reason why 'Daddy, Father And Papa' is a
major disappointment.
Benny
is the underappreciated young son of a doting mother and an
unpleasant, money-grabbing father. With such an environment
around him, it's only natural that Benny begins to feel that
nobody loves him and that his father's only real interest is
in material success. After one particular argument with his
parents, Benny runs away and stumbles upon a gangland murder
involving a wanted photo-film. When he is spotted by the
killers, Benny is kidnapped and told that, if he doesn't
reveal the location of the photo-film that accidentally fell
into his possession, he will be killed. Meanwhile his mother
is sick with worry about her son and, when she realises that
the police will not help, hatches a sly plan to muster up
support. She contacts two of her old boyfriends and tells each
of them that Benny is their son and that his disappearance
needs to be solved. Bull (Sammo) is more than willing to help
when he thinks that his son has been kidnapped and sets out to
find the culprits; joining Bull is the other 'father' (Raymond
Wong) who helps and hinders in the quest to find the boy that
both men think is their son.
However
preposterous a film could be, a set of good characters can
paper over some of the cracks and help claw back some
entertainment value. Based on a French comedy, 'Daddy, Father
And Papa' is full of plot holes that may have been forgiven if
this were the case, but the unpleasant characters that
populate the storyline only condemn it further. Benny,
although the victim, is annoying, his mother (Mo) uses a very
dubious idea to gain the help of others and the father is
utterly contemptible. Of course, because this is another
Clifton Ko family comedy, we're meant to feel drawn to the
characters by the end of the film; this simply doesn't happen.
The main highlight of 'Daddy, Father And Papa' is the
underused, yet effective chemistry between Sammo Hung and
Raymond Wong; it is their interplay that offers partial
redemption for the film. Sadly, even though the film boasts
popular villains like Tommy Wong and James Tien, Sammo Hung
doesn't get a single minute to show off his choreography
skills. This is one of 'Daddy, Father And Papa's major flaws.
Clifton Ko prefers to fill the film with dubious comedy and
'Home Alone'-style action - certainly no compensation for even
a few seconds of Sammo's genius. What may have been an
enjoyable action comedy is barely worthy of being called a
comedy.
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