Tang Bohu dian Qiuxiang (1993)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Lik-Chi Lee

Writers:

Vincent Kok (writer)
Lik-Chi Lee (writer)

Release Date:

1 July 1993 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A scholar in search of true love. Disguising himself as a houseboy, he indentures himself to a rich...

Plot Keywords:

Spoof | Sexual Overtones | Based On Folk Tale

Cast

Stephen Chow	...	Tong Pak Foo
Li Gong	...	Chen Heung
Pak-cheung Chan	...	Chuck Chi-Shan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fai-hung Chan
Pei-pei Cheng	...	Madam Wah
Tiet Wo Chu
Jessica Hester Hsuan
Vincent Kok	...	Tu Chuen-Chang
Peter Lai	...	Teacher
Kit Ying Lam	...	Wife of Tong Pak Foo
Wai Lam	...	King Ning
Kin-Yan Lee
Ka-Yan Leung	...	Mo Chong-Yuen
Wing-Chung Leung
Chia Hui Liu	...	Evil Scholar
Francis Ng	...	Member of The Four Scholars
Carol Wan	...	Tung Heung
Gabriel Wong	...	Wah-Man
James Wong	...	Mr. Wah
King-Tan Yuen	...	Shek-Lau
Mimi Zhu	...	Chussy

Also Known As:

Flirting Scholar (Hong Kong: English title)
Tong Pak Fu dim Chou Heung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Hong Kong | China

Language:

Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Company:

Win's Movie Productions Ltd.

Another Hilarious Stephen Chow Film

"Flirting Scholar" follows Stephen Chow's long tradition of inspired looniness, and made me giggle out loud in reaction to its pure enthusiasm to entertain. His riffs on Chinese tradition are funnier when you have some context, but much of his humor is so outrageous that you'll laugh regardless, as many jokes, especially the physical comedy, are universal. While this isn't quite my favorite Chow film, it's definitely worth watching, and still a must-have item in any Chow collection.

Like many Chow films, "Flirting Scholar" takes a typically over-the-top approach to its comedy, and incorporates such elements as extremely physical slapstick, parody, kung-fu, cartoonish surrealism, and wacky references to other HK movies. To truly appreciate Chow you need to watch lots of HK cinema -- and after you have watched several of Chow's films, you will begin to pick up on running gags that appear in successive movies.

While not as masterfully executed or as narratively tight as one of his truly brilliant films, such as "God of Cookery," this film is simply so utterly crazy at times that it will nonetheless make you laugh out loud, as all of his films inevitably do.