Zhu ba da lian meng (2002) User Reviews

Inner Beauty Doesn't Always Count

[sn0w_wh1te_ · 5/10 · 13 April 2003]

I saw this VCD lying on my desk one day and decided to watch. my sister is a fan of Chinese movies and what interested me most is that it starred the gorgeous Stephen Fung.

It starts off with Turtle who goes to work in a firm with his cousin. there he falls for a beautiful girl who is known for her potty mouth. She along with her three 'sisters' are known as the Pork Chops - the not so perfect looking females. Sick of the torture of those above them, the pork chops decide to go under some pretty intense treatment to become beautiful.

Zhu Ba Da Lian Meng got a lot of laughs out of me but i think what bothered me most about this film was the morale of the story. Most films like this that have unfortunate ugly-duckling girls who turn into beautiful dazzlers would still carry the theme of 'it's inner beauty that really counts'. But after the amazing transformations of the four already beautiful women, i lost a bit of respect for the characters because it seemed that they could get over their flaws and be happy with the way they were (it's not like they were extremely ugly anyway)

It's a good laugh but doesn't send out the right message to young impressionable girls that to get ahead you got to be beautiful.

'Pork Chop' flick courtesy of "chef" Jing Wong

[esteepswong · 3/10 · 13 September 2002]

How would you like some 'pork chop' as meal for today, Alas! What I meant here of 'pork chop' (or in Chinese - Zhu Pa) is not what our usual delicious edible pork chop but a term use by Hong Kong people for visually-offensive women. So what we have offering in our main menu today is a 'pork chop' flick courtesy of chef (producer) Jing Wong. Enjoy your meal.

The movie is supposed to be a satire on the world's obsession with beauty but this one is pretty lightweight and fluffy stuff. However the 'fun' is in seeing how the film-makers turn some of Hong Kong beauties (minus Karen Mok) into ugly women. Can you imagine Michelle Reis, Kelly Lin, Suki Kwan and Karen Mok as ugly women? Well put a bald-patch on Michelle's forehead, a huge birthmark on Kelly's face, beaver teeth on Suki and male facial hair on Karen - and you should get the picture.

These four women play workers in a telecommunications service company who are often bullied by their lady boss and also ridiculed by the men, especially a male co-worker (Stephen Fung). Things take a turn when a gay designer (Jordan Chan) comes on board and befriends the hapless foursome as well as helps turn the 'pork chop ladies' into stunning irresistible beauties.

If you are planning on catching some beauty tips here, let's just say the beautifying methods border on the ridiculous. But then this is a Jing Wong comedy so as expected we would have to contemplate with his superficial and juvenile style of humour. However this time he aims very low indeed which resulted the plot being a messy hotch-potch of gags rather devoid of logic or rationale.

Anyway, the four actresses are 'irresistible' in the first place, so what's the big deal to make them ugly and turn them beautiful again. I would rather have some real pork chop from the Chinese take-away down the street instead.