Sik san

God of Cookery is a hilarious parody of a number of other great HK films (the gambler series, early Jackie Chan, and "Chinese Feast" style cuisine dramas), though I didn't know that when I first saw it... it's how I got into the genre. Because it's satire is so over the top though, you also start to get a feel for the huge differences in film tabus between western and eastern cinema. Production values are amazingly high, and although they "fixed" a couple of hilarious subtitles in the DVD version, at least you can read them in most scenes. The self referential jokes about english translation and subtitles are still there.

The best of Kung Food!

If you live in the U.S., you probably didn't get to see this movie until after encountering at least one of director Stephen Chow's newer, heavily CGI'd extravaganzas such as Shaolin Soccer or Kung Fu Hustle, which right off may damage the experience for those going in expecting more of the same manically paced action, and Hollywood-grade production values. God of Cookery is considerably older than either of his better known U.S. releases, which means that not only are effects scaled down more than a little, Chow's directing skills are clearly lacking the same polish he exhibits in later films. All that having been said, God of Cookery should still be considered required viewing for anyone who liked either of the above movies, or who has a particular fondness for the Japanese reality-cooking show Iron Chef (the parodic base for the film). Many of Chow's beloved regulars are here, at least in cameo, which will go a long way towards carrying Chow fans through the first and second acts which, although generally funny enough, are a bit plodding for American audiences. Any unrest the first two thirds may have caused, however, will be instantly dispelled in the third act which, not coincidentally, is when Chow's beloved kung-fu finally makes its appearance. The absolute high-light for me was the 88 Brass Men of Shaolin Temple, whose, erm, UNIQUE combat style was one of the funniest things I've seen in any movie, period. The actual God of Cooking competition isn't half bad either, and definitely could be viewed as the immediate precursor to Shaolin Soccer, combining as it does over-the-top kung-fu (and some dandy practical effects, even a couple of early CGI shots) with every aspect of cooking Chow can devise. Ultimately this is a film for the fans, casual viewers may find themselves too lost or bored by act three to hang on for the grand finale, and it's definitely not the kid friendly romp of 'Soccer by a long stretch.

I wish an American distributor had picked up this over-the-top Hong Kong comedy, because it may have helped to break down the unfortunate fact that Americans for the most part are still pretty closed to foreign films. Granted, it's far from a conventional comedy, and not easy for advertising to sum up, but I think this could have been at the very least a sleeper hit on these shores had a distributor patiently opened this across the country.

But you should be able to find this in any good Asian movie rental place in your city. You don't have to worry about any cultural differences - much of the humor is of the international slapstick variety, and even some of the cultural references (like Shaolin kung fu) will be understandable. Now there are some kinds of humor that even had me (who's seen much more of Asian cinema than the average humor) mystified, but there was still a wacky edge to them that made them amusing, even if I didn't know exactly what they were referring to.

The movie is a non-stop barrage of laughs. It does get exhausting at times, and the movie starts to get really sloppy towards the end (the final scene felt very unfinished), but you'll still find much more to enjoy here than in your average American comedy. Even if you end up hating it, you won't be able to deny that you've seen NOTHING like this before!

Another terrific film from director/star/co-writer Stephan Chow, the highlight of which are scenes involving The Eighteen Brassmen of Shaolin Monastery, whom provide for particularly inspired comic moments in a movie full of them. Like his breakthrough film in the west, Shaolin Soccer, this film incorporates martial arts into an area not associated explicitly with them.

However, The God of Cookery is not as much focused upon cooking as it is upon an ever-expanding group of oddball characters. The most wonderful thing about Chow as a director is that he doesn't simply use them as vehicles for gags but really allow them screen time to do their thing, even if it is just a throwaway role in the film (the 'ugly chef' who is in the very first scene is a good example). This includes ugly duckling/love interest Turkey, whose absurdly brutal personality and violent behaviour is so incredibly funny because Karen Mok, the actress playing Turkey, portrays her so honestly and without guile. There is none of the incredibly unfunny, strained-'trying to be funny' or ironic acting often found in recent American comedies. Chow is apparently a huge fan of Bruce Lee, but his work seems to take as much from Charlie Chaplin, a guy who knew how to be serious-ly funny.

Anyway, if you enjoyed Stephan Chow's other comedies or are up for some joyfully absurd silliness, look around for this one, it's worth the effort.

I'm now a proud owner of this hilarious and original film. Full of comedy ranging from the physical silliness of the Three Stooges, to the absurd concept-driven comedy of Monty Python. Another great thing is you get to see Asian cinema making fun of common cliche`s of Asian cinema and animation. There is also a lot of fun references and similarities to the storytelling and cinematography of the Coen Brothers. I can see some ideas may have been borrowed from The Hudsucker Proxy, from 2 years before it. Very enjoyable for those who can read subtitles.