Wan Tin-Sau (Stephen Chow) is a dedicated and aspiring actor but he has the habit of screwing up even small parts he gets. In between that he also teaches the art of acting and tries to put on plays in his local town. It's through his teachings that he meets club hostess Lau Piu-Piu (the lovely Cecilia Cheung from Legend Of Zu) who wants to learn some acting tricks in order to make more money from her male customers. She gets the desired effect and the two also fall in love along the way. If that wasn't good enough Wan Tin-Sau gets the opportunity to play a leading role in a film against megastar Sister Cuckoo (Karen Mok from God Of Cookery). Will he rise to the task or fail miserably again?

By now Stephen Chow and Lee Lik-Chi work very well together as directors. Over the years with him by his side, Stephen has really fine-tuned his comedy and directing skills, which resulted in him handling the latter duties all by himself on Shaolin Soccer. I can't swear that this is the truth but the ideal way of working between the two should be that Lee Lik-Chi focuses more on the style of filmmaking while Stephen does his own brand of crazy comedy.

After a strange opening shot by the sea the movie kicks into high gear almost immediately. Stephen's knowledge and great vision of comedy is quickly apparent in the scene where his character, as an extra, manages to screw up a long and demanding John Woo-esque shot (where Karen Mok also makes her first appearance). What makes this scene so awesome is that it's choreographed just like a big serious, balletic shootout, only with more doves. That fact makes the scene almost feel like it's taken straight out of a typical John Woo-film, despite that it's actually a parody. Truly excellent and not only Bruce Lee seems to be Stephen's idol in Hong Kong Cinema. Big credit has to go to action choreographer Bruce Law though who fires on all cylinders in this scene. I first saw his work on Kirk Wong's Gunmen and it's clear that his contribution to a project can mean a lot.

Throughout King Of Comedy I found that, by this point in his career, Stephen had the ability to make any comedy work, no matter how absurd it was. That's not at all easy to do and not something Wong Jing could do in his movies for instance. The visual humor dominates King Of Comedy and there's only a few moments where the humor is more dialogue based. The subtitles do their best at explaining but as a non-Cantonese speaker, these moments didn't really click for me.

From a filmmaking standpoint the 92 minutes fly by quite fast and the script manages to develop the things it should. Neither director seems to want to distinguish themselves stylistically, which of course is a good thing in a comedy. We do see some effective uses of dissolves to indicate time passing but even within those the directors can't resist to insert more silly (read: funny) humor. That works well though and neither the camera language and the joke feels forced or unwarranted, if there ever is such a thing in a Stephen Chow-movie.

The script and the plot within has a very basic structure and theme, in other words boy meets girl, boy gets chance to fame and fortune and so on. However, a simple structure does not generate a bad movie in this case. It has bugged me that in movies like God Of Cookery there's drama that the viewer doesn't fully know whether it's actually comedy or drama but in King Of Comedy there's no question that the drama is actually drama. I really liked this approach which leads us the structure of the second half of this film.

The more crazy comedy is toned down and we instead get to see a very sweet romance develop between Stephen and Cecilia's characters. Sure, that element is a familiar one but there's so much chemistry in and between the two that the word cliché never once popped up in my head. Structure-wise the movie has a fairly serious fault though. A more thriller oriented plot device takes place during the latter part of the film and it came too much out of left field for me to consider it a successful choice. It doesn't feel smooth or right to go from a sweet romance to a shootout and if I had to grade this movie I would've pushed it down a bit because of this.

Our leading man whom you'll know by know has not forgotten to develop his skills in front of the camera and King Of Comedy shows some very good acting from Stephen. It's of course the comedy that dominate the performance and it's the more subtle mannerisms (both in comedy and drama) that makes him so good. His facial expressions, his characters long rants on how good acting is done and the romantic side are all combined wonderfully. Certainly one of his better performances in my opinion.

I haven't seen his female co-star Cecilia Cheung do anything really challenging in movies yet but this role as a romantic interest to Stephen seems to suit her very well. She's not just beautiful, she also has full focus on her character and performs it very professionally. Her scenes with Stephen are really elevated thanks to their excellent chemistry and especially the kissing scene is a unique movie moment.

Karen Mok (who was made up as really ugly in God Of Cookery) doesn't have a lot of screen time and her character seems rather one-sided up to a certain point in the film. Through a simple moment of sympathy the character of Cuckoo becomes memorable though. Ng Man Tat (from Shaolin Soccer and most of Stephen's other films) also turns up but has a smaller and only partially whacked out character to play here. I've seen him do better work but he sure does belong in a Stephen Chow-production no matter what.

Despite one flaw in the narrative I can honestly say that King Of Comedy is very good. Stephen Chow breaks new ground for himself and he definitely is Hong Kong's King Of Comedy.

REVIEW:
King of Comedy is (surprise!) a comedy movie, no doubt. Yet, it strikes deep within the viewer to the extent that few other comedies, or romantic comedies, do. Where many comedies have the viewer remembering all the funny moments when the movie is done, King of Comedy also has the viewer remembering some of the most touching moments. This is the true soul of the film. It is a touching, mature comedy that will have you rolling in laughter while making you fall in love with the characters.

King of Comedy has two main plots to entertain the viewer. First, there is the story of Tin-sau's quest to become a successful actor. This is presented well right from the beginning of the film. Stephen Chow conveys the eagerness of the character very well, with just the right comedic touch. The scenes where he brings theoretical overkill to bit parts best convey this mix. This story, and the premise behind which the entire film rests, is surprisingly engaging. The film does a great job of showing the eagerness of Tin-sau, making the viewer want him to succeed, and mixing lots of comedic antics into the mix. When he gets a big break, the viewer can't help but think "YES!" in happiness for Chow's character. That is the big sign that a movie has engaged the viewer.

The second main plot is the romantic relationship between Tin-sau and Piu-Piu. Again, the film is convincing with its portrayal of this story. The first one-on-one acting lesson between the two sets up the relationship exceptionally. To see the looks he gives when pulling up her chin or hugging her makes it no wonder that he can fall for her. Even when the film goes on to parts focusing on Tin-sau's acting career, viewers can't help but wonder if she's still in his thoughts. Regardless of whether that is intentional, it goes a long way to show how well the relationship between the two characters is set up. It also allows the romantic relationship to co-exist with the story of Tin-sau's career in perfect harmony.

The comedy in the film is top-notch, with such silly antics but a very mature feel. Comedy can often invoke a smile or snicker, but only the best get people laughing out loud and actually shouting things at the screen. King of Comedy does just that. Quite slapstick-ish in many ways, the comedy never comes off as stupid or corny. There is also the way is which the action is brought into the film - through parody. There are some outrageous action scenes, all part of films that Tin-Sau is acting in, that manage to poke good-humored fun at some action movie classics. The comedy also lays low when necessary, allowing some of the drama to come out at the right times without anything to break the mood - an expected, but not always fulfilled trait in comedic dramas.

This film is one of the best romantic comedies to come out in a long time. To nail this down so specifically as a romantic comedy, though, does little justice to the dual plotline of the film that works so well. Its certainly much more mature than most romantic comedies (continuing to use the term for lack of a better phrase), managing to pack more emotions and laughs into its package than others. Performances are great all-around, including newcomer Cecilia Cheung, who I look forward to hopefully seeing in more films. Anyone remotely interested in a film of this type should check this out immediately and even those who lean towards the action side of things are encouraged to give this film a shot. If you thought that romantic comedies could never be totally fulfilling, this is a film to change your mind.

Honestly, I wouldn't know whether to categorize this as a comedy or a drama. There are certain parts that are very funny, such as dead-on parodies of Quentin Tarantino, "Triad Boyz" movies, and John Woo action sequences, as well as Chow's ever-present rubber face. But, like many comedic films of the 1930's, King of Comedy delivers just as much pathos as laughter -- which is probably why Jim "I want to be taken as a seriously as an actor" Carrey has wanted to work with (or "borrow" ideas) from Stephen Chow for years.

It is perhaps this quality which makes Stephen Chow (and his films) stand apart from other comedic actors, especially in this day and age, where movies seem more concerened with grossing out people rather than generating emotion (though, to its' credit, King of Comedy has its' share of toliet humor, including a very funny sequence where Steven gets carried away with his bodily fluids during a crying scene). I actually cared about the characters here and their fates, and that allowed me to forgive the huge (even for Chow's usual nonsense comedy) genre jump at the end, which shifts the movie to a gangster movie ala Reservoir Dogs -- leave it up to Stephen Chow to rip on a film-maker in one scene, and then unabashedly "borrow" from their movies in the next.

All in all, though, this is a great movie. It's not the kind of film the typical HK action junkie (or more casual fan) might be able to pick up and enjoy right away, but that seems to be part of its' appeal. King of Comedy is a near-intoxicating (I dare you to watch this movie and not feel good afterwards) filmic adventure that should be experienced by more "film experts" before they pass judgement on the state of the Hong Kong movie industry. Even with all the recent setbacks (mostly financial in nature) it has suffered, Hong Kong studios still have the power to produce films that are totally unlike anything Hollywood could produce, and King of Comedy is a fine example of that.