Yesterday Once More

Another much hyped movie in Hong Kong in 2004 came in the form of "a third on screen union" between Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, who have fast become the darlings of the Hong Kong RomCom genre. Actually, this is their sixth film together (according to IMDb), but never mind how many, it was the impact their first outing in Needing You that most will remember most, which they followed up with in Love On A Diet.

Yesterday Once More is a story about two thieves, played by Andy and Sammi, who end up divorcing when the wife refuses to share the loot fairly from a recent steal. Two years later, she is proposed to by the son of a wealthy woman and she agrees - if only to steal her "fiancé's" heirloom, a very expensive necklace. Meanwhile, her ex-husband also has his eyes on it, and in a game of cat and mouse, they try to locate each others' stolen possessions whilst finding love again.

Yesterday Once More was quite refreshing. Johnnie To has strayed slightly away from the formulaic movies that most HK RomComs are usually done and has added some darker emotions into it. There's a little suspense too, as you can never tell when a character is lying or not. And personally, I think it is a cute romantic film. But straying down the line he has, the comedy element seems to have been left behind. Gags are fairly basic and the actors who play peripheral characters who supply them don't really match up to Sammi and Andy. And I'm guessing it is this that has brought the lukewarmish reception from cinema-goers in HK.

However, I personally think it is one of the better RomComs offerings you will see from HK this year. One for those looking for a steal.

It wasn't the "perfect" movie. Take it for face value. The plot was good, but not super deep like something you'd expect from Wu Jian Dao (Infernal Affairs1/2/3), et all. It was light hearted and meant to get a few good laughs and entertain you - isn't that the purpose of a movie? Basically it's two people who are kleptomaniacs (people who are obsessed with stealing anything). Andy & Sammi give stellar performances. I've seen their previous two pairings under Johnnie To - Needing You & Love on a Diet - both of which were wonderful movies. Their chemistry is like that of Gregory Peck & Audrey Hepburn. Just.. something about it when they're on the silver screen seems to bring everything together. Well, as I pointed out before the plot's easy to follow. Basically they break up after a heist because of problems w/ the "distribution of assets" or so they say. Two years later she (Sammi) is about to marry some rich boy, but there's this necklace. Andy comes back out of nowhere to steal and so begins a little race (with plenty of pretty clever jokes) to figure out where the necklace is - and then some more.

Enjoy it! Ended the movie with that nice-but-kinda-solemn feeling you got when you watched Roman Holiday. (haha) the box wasn't joking when they said it was a surprise twist :]

P.S. still a little confused about the ending though. =___=

Andy Lau, have been my idol in the Hong Kong movie scene and so is Sammi Cheng which also mesmerises me with her superb singing talent. A beautiful couple amidst the backdrop of the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan Hong Kong. Two vivid lovers too in love with each other, but one of them is more aware of the reality of life thus lets his precious lover amuse herself thus amusing him also. A loving couple since school times and have been looting together and perfecting the job after repeated success. Mr. Do(Andy Lau)was analysed with a terminal disease and thus played up an act to provoke Mrs. Do(Sammi Cheng)until she files for divorce to have a chance to tell her about his sickness. Never did he thought that she didn't believe it and fakes her own sickness. Not wanting to feel more hurt himself he decided to leave town and retired to Italy to relax and retire to his sickness. To keep his lover occupied and not suffer his loss he assigned Mrs. Allen to arrange precious jewellery, of which his wife loves the most to be offered to lure her to steal again and again and again...

Sammi Cheng & Andy Lau are coupled yet again in their 3rd film -- YESTERDAY ONCE MORE -- directed by HK's actioneer Johnnie To...fans of To's action films will be disappointed to find not a single gun was used in the filming...furthermore, fans of Cheng & Lau's previous films, NEEDING YOU & LOVE ON A DIET, will also be disappointed to find that YESTERDAY is no where near as funny or endearing...

Mr. & Mrs. To (Lau & Cheng) are a divorced couple...both affluent HK citizens...both incredibly mischievous...both just happened to be professional thieves -- 'two birds of the same feather'....A couple years earlier, they divorced over an inability to find middle ground on splitting the loot...Now she's remarrying...to the son of a rich heiress -- a total momma's boy (Carl Ng) through & through...The soon-to-be mother-in-law (Jenny Woo) is suspicious of Mrs. To's past & thinks she's only marrying her son for the family jewels -- the heiress' priceless ruby necklace...

The necklace is stolen...is it Mrs. To's materialistic eye that gets the best of her?... or is it her ex-husband, Mr. To's way of sabotaging the marriage to steal the jewels for himself?...

This is not a movie about two pple falling in love or rekindling a love...its about two pple who have always been in love but have somehow been to foolish to realize it...they let pride & greed overwhelm them...

Overall: YESTERDAY is one part caper/heist film & one part homage to classic Hollywood glamour from its golden years -- i.e. Cary Grant & Grace Kelly's TO CATCH A THIEF...Johnnie To is riding too heavily on Cheng/Lau's chemistry from their previous films...hoping Cheng/Lau's immense popularity & fan base will be enough justification for this third film....I think Sammi Cheng is one of the most likable/charming entertainers working t'day...& Lau is definitely the Tom Cruise of Asian cinema...

I really enjoyed their first two films & consider the Cheng/Lau pairing comparable to those classic Hollywood couples of the 40's & 50's...but YESTERDAY falls very short of expectations...terrible writing, ridiculous situations, product placements galore, & all the subplots & supporting characters were unnecessary...come to think of it...this film was unnecessary...unless you just love celebrity watching...

Plot summary: Sammi and Andy are a pair of successful thieves. Happily married, they've been stealing together since their teens. One day, as they were splitting up the gems, Andy suddenly announce he wants a divorce. Without an explanation, he leaves.

To years later, you find a business tycoon named Steven proposing to Sammi but she only agrees if she is given a piece of the family jewels. But the sly soon to be mother-in-law doesn't trust Sammi and makes her agree to a contract. Sensing that this is going to be too much trouble, she decides to just steal the necklace herself. Only she is beaten to the punch by her ex husband. As she tries to recover the stolen necklace, the passions between the two are once again revived. However, one question will always remain: Why did he leave her two years ago? Not of a fan of either Sammi or Andy, I was pleasantly surprised to discovered that this movie was very enjoyable experience. The two lead characters had great chemistry together as they played very in-sync thieves as well as lovers. Although Andy is always a step ahead of Sammi, you can help but see that these two were made for each other. The supporting cast does their roles well. You feel sympathy for the blinded tycoon but know that Sammi is not for him. As well as the funny pair of comic relief detectives.

Another notable aspect is the settings and the placement of all the characters. There are scenes that are like art displays. Nice camera angles and no lagging in the duration of the whole movie. The actors and plot line successfully pulls you in to a roller-coaster of emotions as you guess along with them what the other is thinking. With the benefit of knowing what the other is doing, the audience also gets to anticipate whether the other is aware. A fun puzzle like quiz. In the end, you will leave with a satisfied 98 minutes of delightful entertainment. Hope you like it as much as I did. =)

something to look closely at: each time Andy gives Sammi a choice between two questions.