Fighting For Love: Reviews

The humor is full of jokes that are outdated and humor that is prehistoric -- the main characters smoke constantly and try getting drunk as an excuse to have one last night of passion; other characters seem to have fun poked at them because of their mental deficiencies; one character jokes about having an abortion, and so forth. Yet from the very first frame, the bright color scheme (expertly captured by cinematographer Cheung Man-Po), breezy tone (set thanks to an ace editing job by Cheung Ka-Fai), and cheery musical score (with several catchy songs and original music by Lincoln Lo), all combine to paint an alternate reality where nothing but the heart should be taken seriously. And those all too predictable romantic moments work because the performances of Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Sammi Cheng Sau-Man are grounded in reality. Although this light-as-air tale threatens to clunk to earth several times, director Joe Ma Wai-Ho manages to keep it just barely inflated until it puffs to an agreeable conclusion.

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is typically charming as Veg. Some comedic asides are funny solely because of his facial expressions. He and Sammi Cheng Sau-Man (as Deborah) engage in quick-witted banter and make for a soulful couple. Chow Lai Kei provides support as the initially quite engaging Mindy, and Joe Lee Yiu Ming is Veg's friend Camel, who pops up in the most unexpected places from time to time.