Zhang bei

My Young Auntie kind of disappointed me, because I feel like almost all the comedy fell flat, and it really dragged, having a two-hour runtime and not filling it very well. It was at its most tedious when it shifted away from action and did its best to be funny. From about the 15-minute mark to the start of its second hour, I found it particularly hard to stay engaged. The humor not landing might be a me thing, though, because I rarely find the comedic beats in old martial arts movies funny. Even something like Drunken Master II, which has some of the best action I've ever seen, has comedy that kind of constantly falls flat (My Young Auntie's director, Chia-Liang Liu, co-directed that one, though I think Jackie Chan kind of took over directing duties there).

But, to be fair and get a little more positive, there is good action to be found in My Young Auntie. For that, it certainly wasn't bad overall. I just found there was a good deal of not-great stuff to wade through (and, at points, honestly endure) in order to get to the good stuff. The opening scenes are solid, and much of the action in the final act delivers, but the hour in between those parts of the film? I found it to be a bit of an endurance test.

Some martial-arts purists think that comedy was the worst thing that could have happened to the old-school kung-fu flick; and it is true that the introduction of comedy into the genre signaled the end of the "chop-socky" period in Hong Kong film. But the fact is, one can only carry-on a primarily physical exhibition of prowess for just so long, then everyone gets bored with it. And that's really why the chop-socky died and how the Hong Kong "New Wave" action film was born: the producers, the actors, the directors all just got bored with hitting people for ninety-minutes straight.

Given that, and given the fact that Liu Chia Liang is a professional director with a considerable list of films in his resume, this film has to be seen as something other than just another kung-fu comedy. Rather, it is a comic film within the martial-arts genre, and in fact one of the best ever made.

What Liu has done with this film is really a pleasant surprise: he has taken a martial-arts plot and re-constructed it along the lines of a Hollywood-style musical! Complete with episodes of singing and dancing! It was around the time of the making of this film that some film-makers and film fans began to recognize that the cinematic performance of martial-arts (really derived from the acrobatics of the Chinese opera) has more in common with dance than with fighting. (I will continue to point out this connection until most Americans realize what they are actually supposed to look for when watching a martial arts film - well-choreographed body movements, using the plot of an action film as an excuse for their performance.) At any rate, quite clearly Liu Chia Liang made this connection and decided he would explore it close to its limits.

The result is an incredibly charming entertainment, filled with marvelously human characters attempting miraculous kung-fu (and tripping over their own shoelaces as often as not when they do so). and the film being set at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, allows Liu the opportunity to explore the nature of the Westernization and Modernization of China that contributed so greatly to the making of the China we know today. So the film has considerable historical import as well.

Also, fans of Stephen Chow's recent Kung Fu Hustle should really watch this movie carefully, as Chow clearly learned from it before the making of his own film.

A very amusing, well-made film. Oh, yes, and the kung fu in it is really, really good.

Purists won't admit it, but this is probably director Liu's best film.

If you're looking for a kung-fu action movie, look elsewhere. While there are fighting scenes, the film revolves around its provincial protagonist, who struggles to find her way in Americanized Canton. Unlike most "kung-fu comedies," the action scenes are used to reinforce the comedy, instead of the other way around.

Cheung Booi is a statement about the farcical nature of kung-fu movies, where the stars always seem to find some reason to fight. Instead of some grand drama about honor and respect, minor misunderstandings cause the characters to yell at each other and start beating each other up.

My Young Auntie, as it's known in the West, is the story of Cheng Tai-nun, played by Kara Hui, who is a young woman who marries an elderly landowner to keep his holdings from falling into the hands of his greedy and corrupt brother. After he dies, she moves to Canton to live with her nephew, played by director Lau Kar Leung, and his son Ah Tao, played by Hsiao Ho.

The basis of the irony is that although Cheng is the same age as Ah Tao, her manner is more akin to her status as his step-great-aunt. While Ah Tao speaks English (extremely poorly), plays the guitar and goes to costume parties, Cheng utterly fails when she tries to adapt to her lifestyle in Canton, complete with makeup, revealing gowns, high heels and dance scenes.

What makes this movie great is its realization. Lau Kar Leung is perhaps one of the greatest, if not the greatest director of his generation in Hong Kong, and Kara Hui won "Best Actress" at the first Hong Kong Film Awards in 1982. Also, this is arguably Hsiao Ho's finest performance. His chemistry with Hui is remarkable, and although he went on to have a storied career in kung-fu comedies, often working alongside Sammo Hung, he has the perfect combination of athleticism and comedy. As the romantic tension and intrigue build in the second half of the movie, his entire countenance changes. No longer does he easily jaunt through life without a care in the world. He becomes the straight man and his cohorts the Kramer, Elaine and George.

My one complaint is how suddenly the comedic aspects of the film die off during the conclusion. The film transitions from outright farce to dramatic intrigue with little but a change in incidental music. But there is a certain symmetry in it. The film begins focused on the intrigue, focused more on Lau Kar Leung's character, and it ends that way, too. But the final scene returns to the movie's comedic roots, giving conclusion to both aspects of the film.

"My Young Auntie" seems to be considered a minor kung fu classic by some people, and indeed it has a lot to admire: Kara Hui is a marvel to watch in action (with each new film I see her in, I become more and more convinced that she must be one of the 5 greatest female fighters in movie history; she is also underrated in terms of beauty), Hsiao Hou makes a very compatible and playful partner / rival for her, and old-school kung fu fans are sure to get a kick out of the final fight between Liu Chia Liang and his "evil" relative. The problem is that the film barely has enough story for 14 minutes, and yet it goes on for 114! Needless to say, it feels overlong. The last half hour is non-stop fighting: this may sound good in theory, but in this case it becomes repetitive, perhaps even exhausting. Also, it's a little weird that the central character, the Auntie of the title, is almost completely written off the action during the finale. (**1/2)

'My Young Auntie (1981)' tells the tale of a young woman who marries her much older master - as an act of respect to repay his kindness, rather than romance - and goes to stay with his oldest brother's son after he passes away in order to make sure his inheritance doesn't fall into the hands of his no-good youngest brother, as per his controversial final wishes. Naturally, her nephew-by-marriage is much older than she is, hence the title. In fact, she's about the same age as her nephew's son, even though she's technically his grand-auntie and therefore significantly more senior than him in terms of the family dynamic. Beyond a few expected age-related gags, most of the conflict - and comedy - comes from traditionalism vs modernism. The eponymous auntie represents somewhat of an oxymoron: she's young, but she's old-school. Her college-age grandnephew, who studies English in Hong Kong and is an advocate for being trendy (as well as calling his father "daddy"), clashes with her old-fashioned sensibilities (which much more closely align with those of his dad) and struggles to accept her as his senior. It helps, of course, that she can kick ass like the best of them, capable of putting anyone who calls her a "bumpkin" in their place and holding her own against hoards of horny young men or malicious money-grubbing relatives.

As to be expected from something directed by - and starring - Lau Kar-leung, the fight choreography is absolutely spectacular. It is, of course, the highlight of the entire affair, and it comes to a crescendo in an extended final battle that's totally jaw-dropping in its fast-paced fervour. The athleticism of the performers is nothing short of miraculous, and the direction perfectly frames each and every moment of scrumptious action impeccably. It strikes the perfect balance between one-on-one and one-on-many, hand-to-hand and weapon-to-weapon. It's the kind of stuff that's more ballet than brutal, a precise dance that uses the context of battle to showcase the beauty of its martial arts. There are fun set-pieces elsewhere in the film that make good use of comedic timing within their frenetic action, but it's the propulsive and eye-widening display of Kung fu prowess that is the third act where things really pop off.

Sadly, it also contains the biggest disappointment of the entire affair. The brilliant Kara Wai's Cheng Tai-Nan, the feature's strong-willed and strong-fisted protagonist, spends the second half of the last movement tied up. This is especially frustrating considering how front and centre she is for the rest of the picture, a force to be reckoned with who constantly has the upper hand on the men around her. Having her in the lead role is great not only for female representation (even though there are a couple of moments of objectification), but also for the film as a whole: she's easily the most interesting and commanding character, and - at least prior to the final stretch - she kicks the most butt in the entire movie. To make things worse, the movie takes her out of the equation by having her fall into the role of 'damsel in distress' (albeit stoic 'damsel in distress'), which is really unsatisfying and runs counter to almost everything we've seen before. The last segment of action instead mostly focuses on four old men, three of whom only come into the narrative as it heads into its last segment, and it's just a really odd decision. The director himself takes centre stage during this part of the picture, and it almost feels a little vain for him to do so. However, the fact that he's an established expert martial artist who can impress just as much as - if not more than - the rest of his cast certainly helps alleviate this vibe. After all, if you're going to show off, you better have the skills to do so; Lau Kar-leung certainly does. Still, having the actual hero be out of action for the final bout leaves a notably sour taste in the mouth, no matter how stunning the climactic set-piece is.

However, the film is really enjoyable despite this major flaw. It's light-hearted fun with a nice blend of comedy and action. It's essentially a family drama for its majority, with the unconventional dynamics between its eponymous Auntie and her new relatives providing plenty of opportunity for misadventure before the stakes get more conventional in the siege-based final third. It's a little bit too long for what it is (it's nearly two hours), and its pacing is a somewhat strained. It's very backloaded in terms of its best action, even if there are plenty of entertaining fights sprinkled throughout its first half, and there's a sense that it's spinning its wheels somewhat during its midsection. Some of its humour works well, but quite a lot of it falls fairly flat. A few of its characters, particularly the grandnephew, are rather annoying for a lot of its runtime, too. Plus, the subtitles on the version I watched included an unpleasant surprise in the form of a homophobic slur. I'm not sure if that's present in all versions or if that's even what's actually said, but I'm not a fan regardless. The nicer surprise is a cameo from Gordon Liu, who not only wears a regular wig but also wears a big fluffy wig when his character dresses up for a masquerade party. Ultimately, this is an entertaining and engaging martial arts movie that has some issues but mostly overcomes them. It isn't as emotionally engaging or as pacy as the best in its genre, but it's fun enough for what it is and includes some stunning fight sequences.