Fight Back to School

Another wacky film by Stephen Chow, had a great time watching this.

Fight Back to School is a sometimes childish, but very funny movie that all ages can enjoy. Perhaps it can be compared to the Naked Gun, but less silly and more focused. The story concerns an officer named Star Chow who must go undercover as a student to recover a stolen gun. Not the brightest of people in terms of math and science, you can probably guess the type of comedy that follows. Much of the comedy looks like it belongs in a cartoon show, but it is all very well done and never seems out of place. In one scene, while taking a history exam, Star tries to cheat by using his cell phone to call his partner outside for answers. His partner calls the department and the comedy begins. The most "capable" of officers are called into a room in the department and frantically seach for the exam answers as Star's partner outside throws a banana up behind the class window to inform him that the answer is "b". This is the type of comedy that basically runs throughout the film, so if it's the kind that makes you laugh, perhaps you should give it a look. I saw this film many years ago on a small screen TV during a trip, so I had forgotten most of it. Recently I watch the DVD, and recommend it to Hong Kong movie fans looking for some comedy. There's a bit of everything, even some kung fu action.

One of the best Stephen Chow movies. Although it lacks the polish and CGI of his latest efforts, "Shaolin Soccer" and "Kung Fu Hustle," this movie is still hugely entertaining and essential viewing, especially if you like Chow's special brand of "moleitau" (nonsense humor).

Chow plays Star Chow, a cop who goes undercover as a student in order to find a missing gun. He is understandably annoyed, shouting at his senior, "I wanted to be a cop so I didn't have to go to school anymore!" He gets to display a huge range of hilarious, ticked-off expressions. Plot is thin, but who cares: after all, this movie is just a stage for Chow to show off his impeccable comic timing, slapstick, and nonsense humor. The familiar supporting cast is also strong.

Chow has to deal with a myriad of things as an undercover at school: professors that throw chalkboard erasers at him, student gangs and cliques, homework, tests, girls, etc. This is great comic material and Chow rises to the occasion admirably. There's a hilarious scene where he cheats on his Chinese history test by calling up the police station and asking the chief to give him the answers. Other hilarious scenes include him failing to turn in his homework and being subject to public humiliation, fitting in with his classmates, dealing with an absent-minded science professor, and developing a crush on one of his teachers.

Compared the "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer," this movie is less accessible to Western audiences because of the abundance of verbal comedy. It is still a very funny movie with tons of slapstick, but it's even funnier if you understand Cantonese because a lot of the comedy comes from Cantonese slang and Chow's intonation. However, I've shown this movie to friends who don't understand Cantonese at all and they have all loved it.

Bottom line: One of Chow's best. This movie is a good example of why audiences love Chow and why he was one of the biggest HK box-office draws in the 90s (he still is a big box office draw). He oozes winning charisma and charm. Laugh-out-loud funny. Highly recommended.

The usual amusing Hong Kong martial arts/comedy from Stephen Chow. As with many of his other films (All for the Winner, God of Gamblers 2)- his "uncle tat" is also present. I don't find him that amusing, but I guess Stephen needs a straight man.

The usual amusing antics, fight scenes and physical comedy ensue.

One of the funniest moments I've seen in a film (and I don't usually like crass humor) was when Stephen is forced to chew the "gum" (actually a condom) and manages to blow a bubble! Don't miss the outtakes from this scene in the closing credits.

P.S. This seems to have been filmed during the Gulf War and I found it interesting that Stephen Chow would be wearing a Saddam Hussein tshirt in the film. Was this to express solidarity with Iraq against the (first) US invasion? Was this supposed to be an ironic comment the way some kids think it's funny to wear a Charles Manson shirt?

Stephen Chow is a gung ho SWAT member who always saves the captives.... although his team members don't always survive in the training exercise. Now, however, he has a chance for a big promotion: recover the retiring Police commissioner Barry Wong's gun from whichever high school student stole it by going undercover with the help of already undercover Man-Tat Ng; his cover is he's the janitor with Parkinson. There's also pretty teacher Man Cheung, who wants to help the new, wayward student, fellow pupil Gabriel Wong, who organizzes a gang around Chow, and a gun-smuggling operation for him to sort out.

There's a 22 Jump Street vibe her,e with Chow finding it rather difficult to fit in, and not just because he can't do trigonometry. While the story develops in an efficient fashion, there are plenty of comedy set-pieces, ending up in a burlesque of all those hall-of-mirror sequences that have infested the movies since Orson Welles first brought them to the movies' notice.