It is obvious that this film was made specifically
for the Chinese New Year holiday, and usually for this kind of festival
film, it would entail a host of stars and have them portray comical
characters in a sickly puerile plot whose purpose is to make the audience
laugh till their heads drop off, so that they don't realise they have
wasted a good part of $50 dollars for the ticket fee.
Fortunately, Fat Choi Spirit is worth watching,
but only if you like playing Mahjong, or know enough about the rules
and the game to understand it. If you don't, then this film is not
for you, because the whole plot is nothing really but a Mahjong
game.
There is nothing intellectual about the film,
nor is there a pretence to be anything but a fun film, and it is
really hilarious, but only if you understand Mahjong. Otherwise,
stay clear.
Andy Lau plays a Mahjong warrior whose game is
so admirable, that he is literally unbeaten. His luck is really
due to his on-and-off girlfriend, Gigi (Gigi Leung), and she hopes
to marry him, but he has reservations because of her homicidal personality.
Andy has a younger brother, Louis (Louis Koo), who is a graduate
of MIT and hates Mahjong. He hates it even more when he falls foul
of another Mahjong king, Lau Ching Wan, and loses everything.
When Andy dumps Gigi once more, she swears that
he will not win another game and will lose big. True to her word,
he becomes bankrupt, but all is not lost. There is still a Mahjong
competition to be won, but can Andy win another match?
I really like this film because it is so silly
and funny, and all because it is based on Mahjong, a game that I
like to play from time to time. Anyone who has actually played it
knows that playing Mahjong not only requires skill and thought,
a lot of luck is also needed. The way they play in the film is obviously
way over the top because it is very unlikely they will get such
good hands at the start in reality. The joy of the film is simply
that, to see such outlandish situations occur.
Also the characters are very funny, especially
those of Louis Koo, Gigi Leung and Lau Ching Wan. This is a film
to totally ham it up, and they did it at their upmost, adding much
glee to the proceedings.
As I said before, there isn't really a plot in
Fat Choi Spirit, only a montage of Mahjong games that are full of
humour and jest. If you like Mahjong, you'll laugh till your sides
hurt, and if you don't like Mahjong, save your money and buy another
film. Simple as that.
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