King of Comedy

It's a breakthrough for Stephen Chow; finally a Stephen's movie with substance. Unexpectedly creative, it's like another version of Forrest Gump; you never know what you gonna get. You want action? You want romance? You want comedy? You want drama? The movie has it all.

Stephen Chow paradoxically portrays the life of an "extra" actor, who is quite committed to acting, yet never manages to land anything better than one-line scripts. Cecilia Cheung leads an equally gloomy life, in which her dreams have been shattered after her boyfriend ordered her to work in a night club to make a living. Cecilia's inability to lure customers results in her attending Stephen's bizarre neighborhood acting classrooms; from then on the movie will follow their fortunes and misfortunes.

The good: as usual, Stephen Chow's movies have hilarious moments and, at the same time, explore everything that can be squeezed out from the main role. While God of Cookery was about "cooking with a heart", here the director deals with the topic of "working hard, to act better" and shows that, somehow, we all are actors in the movie that is our life. Indeed, the movie does not need extravagant settings such as Shaolin monasteries or soccer stadiums, but we get to witness many problems of ordinary Chinese suburbs, including kids becoming triad members and people leading a poor life.

The bad: Considering King of Comedy's social involvement, I would have expected a more linear story. Instead, the narration flow is a roller-coaster of moods, in which every one, not just Stephen Chow, seems a bit loony and overdramatizes every aspect of his/her life. Imagine what A Beautiful Mind would be, if also Jennifer Connelly and the other actors were like John Nash! Extravagant, to say the least! 7/10

A nobody actor tries to make it in the movie industry. Meanwhile, on the sides he teaches acting: A call girl learns to act like a virgin, and small time bullies learn to act tough.

If you like asian humor, you'll love this one. Me and my friends had a good laugh watching the situation comic in this movie. If you have a 12 year old sense of humor like us you'll be rolling on the floor. Much better than the tepid, often uninspired US comedies.

FYI: $7 hong-kong = $1 US, that will help you see how cheap the characters are.

This movie was great. Stephen Chow plays Wan Tin Sau, a comedy about a man who has a passion for acting but isn't even qualified to play as an extra in a movie. He shows his dedication to drama and acting in the most hilarious ways and teaches others how to use acting skills in real life. A very funny but touching movie that all would enjoy. i give it 8 out of 10.

This is the film Stephen Chow directed before Shaolin Soccer. There is no kung fu in it, but it is hilarious nonetheless. Chow plays a down and out actor who can't get a job even as an extra. He works at a Neighborhood Welfare House and, in his spare time, gives "acting" lessons. These lessons turn out to be for people like a young wannabe Triad member who wants to learn to act tough so he can collect money, or for an expensive call girl to act virginal so she can make more money. All this and more - the subtitles were a bit tough to understand at times, but all in all I laughed quite a bit and it made me think of Stephen Chow as a Peter Sellers type of guy here. This film also hilariously spoofs John Woo films and has a cameo by Jackie Chan!