Goo nam gwa lui

Hong Kong seems to love Sammi Cheng in whiny, helpless roles, as evident by her slew of Hong Kong Film Awards acting nominations - for this movie, Love on a Diet (both with Andy Lau), and Fighting for Love (with Tony Leung). While I looked past her annoying character in Love on a Diet because I found its weight-loss theme inspirational, both this movie and Fighting for Love - typical romantic comedies - are merely tolerable, good for a couple of chuckles. Though I understand Sammi's acting range isn't that wide, it's a pity that the Queen of Cantopop is perpetually relegated to such grating cheeseball roles. 6/10

Popular Hong Kong pop singer Sammi Cheng usually winds up in roles where she plays the "straight man" and doesn't get the joke. Andy Lau somehow maintains his attractiveness to young women half his age - at least in his movies. This film is no exception but is nevertheless a sweet romantic comedy that plays well if you haven't tired of films in which Cheng and Lau fumble through romance.

Sammi Cheng and Andy Lau star in this romantic-comedy--with a particular emphasis on romance. I noticed a couple reviewers didn't like that the film wasn't that funny. I had no problem with it and thought it didn't need to be funnier.

When I rented this film, my first thought was 'wow--a film starring Andy Lau that is NOT a martial arts epic or gritty cop film!'. This is because here in the States, most of Lau's films you see are this sort of film--such as "Internal Affairs", "House of Flying Dragons" and "Warlords". Here it is nice to see him in something lighter.

The film is set in Hong Kong and involves a nice boss (Lau) and a strange secretary (Cheng). I say strange because on one hand she's a mess. She has no confidence with men and flies off the deep when she has relationship problems. But, on the other hand, she's very loyal, highly skilled and a very important part of her office team--though she's not the sort to seek attention and often lets herself be the fall gal when there are problems. As the film progresses, Lau realizes what a find he has with Cheng--at first as a co-worker and then later...well see the film for yourself to see what's next.

Overall, this is a very sweet film--a nice date film. Nothing overly deep or significant here--just a very nice movie featuring some actors who manage to carry off the film quite well.

While "Needing You" (aka "Goo nam gwa lui") is a pretty straightforward, if not generic actually, romantic comedy, there is just something that works quite marvelously about it.

Perhaps it is the adorable storyline that writers Cindy Tang, Ka-Fai Wai and Nai-Hoi Yau managed to put together, or the adept skill of bringing the script to life from established directors Johnnie To and Ka-Fai Wai. But it may also be the on-screen chemistry that there was between lead actor Andy Lau and lead actress Sammi Cheng.

I hadn't seen "Needing You" before now in 2021, as I had the opportunity to sit down to watch it. And I must say that it was an entertaining romantic comedy. Sure, this is one of those a dime a dozen romantic comedies, but if you enjoy such movies, then "Needing You" is definitely well worth checking out.

There is a good pacing to the storyline and there are enough variation in the plot to keep it interesting from start until end. Sure, it is predictable, and the movie pans out and ends exactly as you foresee, but it was, nonetheless, an enjoyable ride.

"Needing You" also have names like Shiu Hung Hui and Suet Lam on the cast list, so if you are familiar with Hong Kong cinema during the 1990s and 2000s, then you will recognize these two actors.

I found "Needing You" to be a nice surprise and it was definitely an enjoyable romantic comedy. I am rating this 2000 Hong Kong movie a solid six out of ten stars.

A must see for fans of Andy Lau this is a light-hearted romantic treat with Sammi Cheung lighting up the scenes with her girl-next-door looks and coquettish smile. There are several moments in the film that could have been smoother (the entire "kidnapping" is a bit overbearing and Kinki's family acts as if they're in the wrong movie) but there's plenty of whimsical fun and childlike nuttiness that will have you rooting for these two well before the two hours run out.