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Starring
:
Miriam
Yeung
Tony
Leung Chiu Wai
Ronald
Cheng
Edward
To
Teresa
Carpio
Vincent
Kok
William
So
Producer
:
Vincent
Kok
Director
:
Vincent
Kok
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MY
LUCKY STAR (2003)
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
The
Miriam Yeung box-office juggernaut continues to hurtle along
with this hit romantic comedy from New Year 2003. This time
Yeung is coupled with one of Hong Kong's most popular
performers and best actors, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, though the
conventions of the genre remain cast in stone for this
production.
Yip
(Yeung) is plagued by misfortune and daily accidents which
seem to effect her happiness in life. Due to this, Yip seeks
solace in ludicrous superstition and her obsession in changing
her fortune around. Her attempts to turn her life around are
unsuccessful though and Yip resigns herself to her day-to-day
misery. Yip is given an opportunity to consult one of Hong
Kong's greatest Feng Shui masters when she meets Lai (Tony
Leung) who has carved out a considerable niche in the market
and offers her some very quick advice. The wisdom proves to be
worthy and Yip is delighted by her improving circumstances at
work and at home. Persuading the in-demand Lai to give her
daily advice, Yip lives her life by his words and sees her
life getting better and better; such a drastic change also
begins to work its charm on her heart and she gradually finds
herself falling in love with the suave master. As Yip is using
a changed name though, Lai is unaware that she is a descendant
of the Yip family who centuries earlier cursed the Lais. Lai
then remembers the warning of his late teacher that the Yip
family and the Lai family should never be together as it would
be a disaster for both parties. Now he distances himself from
his admirer while she, unaware of his feelings, now fights
against her broken heart and desperately tries to understand
Lai's sudden cold shoulder. However, the true stem of Yip's
misfortune and the awkward position Lai finds himself slowly
emerges as the work of another feng shui master (Cheng). This
master is hired by a jealous figure from Yip's past and given
the task of destroying her life through his devious means. Now
the two conflicting families agree to ignore their supposed
curse and take on their aggressor, turning all of his tricks
against him.
There
was little surprise when 'My Lucky Star' hit the magical
HK$20million mark at the local box-office during its Chinese
New Year release. Competing with Sammi Cheng's 'Love For All
Seasons', the film signified that Miriam Yeung's financial
clout was on par with any other actress working in Hong Kong
today. Whether it's an artistic success or not is another
matter. Despite high production values and a top-notch lead
pairing, 'My Lucky Star' lacks the charm of Yeung films like 'Love
Undercover', 'Frugal
Game' and 'Dry
Wood, Fierce Fire'. Much of the blame for this rests on
the shoulders of director Vincent Kok - a film-maker who has
been churning out blockbusters for stars ranging from Chow
Sing Chi to Jackie Chan. Whereas 'Love Undercover's Joe Ma and
'Dry Wood, Fierce Fire's Wilson Yip manage to craft their
films without giving way to tedious mugging or over-the-top
'humour', Kok loses control at various points in the narrative
and falls back on this tiresome trick; his ability as a comedy
helmer is there, if only he didn't use such an amateurish
directorial touch. The aforementioned films weren't perfect,
but at least the men responsible for them had a better
understanding of the genre than Vincent Kok seems to. While
being fairly comfortable with the comedic aspects, Kok really
struggles when the plot turns to romance - one of the more
essential components of the movie. Initially the relationship
between Miriam Yeung and Tony Leung is nicely developed with a
gradual chemistry forming. This then seems to be discarded in
an attempt to throw as many outrageous characters into the
storyline as possible while sacrificing the promise of the
first half hour and causing annoyance for the viewer.
'My
Lucky Star' does benefit from its two magnetic lead performers
even though they are restricted by the slack direction. Miriam
Yeung may not be the most expressive of actresses - she
certainly doesn't have the range of the Sylvia Changs of this
world - but she is always an enjoyable screen presence; her
subtle natural beauty and gentle manner are an asset in most
of her films. Tony Leung needs no simple platitudes as he is,
simply put, one of the best actors currently working in Hong
Kong - maybe even the world. He's comfortable no matter what
kind of film he finds himself in and handles comedy remarkably
well. If only Vincent Kok had nurtured the early comedy of 'My
Lucky Star' and allowed the two stars to develop their love,
this could have been above the norm. As it stands it's an
adequate rom-com that struggles to remain engrossing
throughout its 100 minute duration.
Rating:
 
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