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Cast:
Chow
Yun Fat
Jacky
Cheung
Raymond
Wong
Cherie
Chung
Do
Do Cheng
Fennie
Yuen
Producer:
Raymond
Wong
Director:
Johnnie
To
Score:
 
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EIGHTH
HAPPINESS
AKA:
8th Happiness
Year:
1988 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Johnnie
To - a director now gaining worldwide recognition for his
thrillers from the Milkyway stable - helms this over-the-top
comic farce which collects together a formidable all-star
cast. It's no surprise that with such an impressive name-list
on hand this proved to be one of the highest domestic earners
of its year, beating off considerable competition from the
likes of Jackie Chan for the top spot.
The
plot is tailor-made for the kind of extreme hi-jinks that the
film promotes and gives each of the star names the chance to
take centre stage in one of the many sub-plots. It details the
lives and loves of three very different brothers: Fai (Wong)
is a TV host who rules the house that the trio share; Long
(Chow) is the very camp charmer who always seems to attract
the women; Sung (Cheung) is a young cartoonist who is shy
around the opposite sex. When their telephone system breaks
down, chaos ensues with the various complexities of their
lives thrown together. After a number of misunderstandings and
twists, the brothers see that the freak occurrence has been
strangely helpful in their lives. This proves to be evident
when each one is given the chance to meet the women they may
never have encountered outside of these circumstances.
As
is clear from the brief synopsis given, 'Eight Happiness' is
not particularly reliant on its storyline. Instead the film
draws out the individual sub-plot threads to create the farce
elements. The only problem with this is that, as a whole,
these are uninteresting and soon lose their early promise. The
kind of comedy that the production is based upon has been seen
in scores of other 80's Hong Kong films and has often been
done better. Therefore this isn't the laugh-riot that is
sometimes implied and the fault of this cannot be blamed on
the difficulty of translating this to a Western audience.
'Eighth Happiness' does at least have a few scenes that are
amusing, but they are sadly in the minority. Johnnie To shows
a lack of restraint in his direction, giving actors (such as
Chow Yun Fat) a far too easy chance to over-act. In making
this mistake, the proceedings are bogged down by some
characters who simply annoy by the end of the film. Chow Yun
Fat made many comedies in his workaholic 80's period and,
although 'Eighth Happiness' is the most financially lucrative,
some of them were definitely more entertaining. This is an
average comedy film with little to make it stand out and
viewers would be better advised watching 'Diary
Of A Big Man' if they want to see one of Chow Yun Fat's
comic roles.
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