One night, she sees Michael (Daniel Wu), a chef of a French restaurant, who gets drunk because he is on the verge of closing down his restaurant. They become friends very soon and Siu-Man then begins to help Michael to rebuild his business, and the two fall in love.

Review: 2005 seems to have been a quiet year for romantic comedies, at the start of the year we were graced by Andrew Loo & Maurice Li’s “It had to be you!” showing the growing romance between two restaurant workers (Ekin Cheng & Karena Lam), now at the later part of ’05 Derek Yee has refined us with another light hearted romantic comedy.

Some reviews have mentioned how Derek has lowered his standards by making a movie of this genre rather than his hard hitting crime dramas (One Night in Mongkok). Yet I think this has shown Derek Yee’s talent in a different light, the romantic chemistry between Miriam and Daniel is great. Another Chef includes Ken Wong.

Guest Appearances include Terence Yin as Daniel Wu’s old traveling buddy. Chin Kar-Lok makes a brief appearance at the start of the movie as the gangster ‘Big Bear’, who can’t handle his drink. Alex Fong makes frequent appearances as 'Brother 9' who in the first half of the movie thinks of Michael as a rival when he attempts to win the heart of Siu-Man, but after loosing to Michael he takes upon the role of the 'Over Protective Father'. I'm also certain that one of the chiefs that ‘Miss Zhao’ hires is Derek Tsang, son of Eric Tsang.

Final thoughts another decent and rather touching romantic comedy with Daniel Wu and Miriam Yeung, who I usually can't stand (her voice is too deep he he) pulls off a great and convincing character.

Highlights

Fong (Miriam Yeung) works as a beer salesgirl and is known amongst her circle of friends as "Ms. Never Drunk". One that could correspond to Mr. Drunk is chef, with specialty in the French cuisine, Michel (Daniel Wu) who ends up being taken care of by Fong after a drunken night out. All having to do with his restaurant doing poorly but since Fong always has had a dream of running one, she teams up with Michel to get the business going. Since he also stays at her house, rumours begin flourishing as well as the romance between the two. Over time, the restaurant still doesn't take off and in an effort to ditch Hong Kong together with Fong and a little pocket money, Michel accepts a quality offer to work in Mainlander Zhao Jie's (Hu Jing) restaurant. A choice that puts high strains on the relationship with Fong...

If you can't stand product placement and/or misleading covers, then Drink Drank Drunk is not for you. The sassy poster image of Miriam Yeung is very tongue in cheek while Budweiser obviously do get quite a showcase. Not surprising considering the plot so over those hurdles you go and examine Derek Yee's romantic comedy in an objective way instead. The above question sort of is answered as both yes and no, leaning towards the former. To be fair, Yee has made a better film than The Bachelor's Swan Song and a better genre effort than we usually see these days in Hong Kong cinema but Drink Drank Drunk goes through a first half that clearly is beneath Yee's skill.

Once again it shows his discomfort with directing audience pleasing, wacky comedy and it's a case of the staples not so much adjusting to Yee but Yee having to sink himself quite low to generate commercial cinema. So early on the overblown characters and delivery rule, with not much attention to character and only slight actual wit. The latter being small signs of Yee working the genre to pleasing effect. And while there are some solid character journeys pursued, such as Fong's hopeless, disillusioned quest for a true, honest man and themes concerning dreams of materialism, rejection of foreign customs, corporate cynicism and the emotional effects of alcohol (really the least important aspect of the film surprisingly), it's buried underneath a first half that Derek can't be proud of. Take a breather and then find out why Drink Drank Drunk grows after half time however.

Because it's when the romance is cemented and there's really only room for two characters in Yee's and Jessica Fong's script that the film gains enough momentum for it to stand a few notches above other fluffy romantic comedies. There's fresh and sweet touches provided as the couple after their first night together really do not know how to proceed, the crucial moments of any romance in other words. The depth to Fong and Michel also may not be significant but the throwback to how he once denied materialism only to embrace it with the promise of wealth in order to go on with his non-materialstic ways is engaging since we viewers do like the couple. A relaxed interaction between Miriam and Daniel proves to be helpful for this particular light genre drama as well. In particular Wu shows an ever so slightly more comfortable screen presence and has obviously improved in that regard since the late 90s. Being directed by Yee never hurts if you're trying to evolve as an actor also!

The supporting gallery is notable but problematic, starting with Vincent Kok as the gay best friend. Being the stereotypical flamboyant gay character that these movies tend to opt for while being a genuinely warm presence in the latter stages still equals a missed opportunity by writers Yee and Jessica Fong. Alex Fong upstages everyone though and is one of the sole funny things early on as the outrageous but harmless triad Brother 9. The veteran subsequently shows that breaking free from the crazy behavior to deliver honest dialogue about his care for Fong makes an act memorable. The Mainland talent for this co-production is the very sexy Hu Jing who can carry of that aspect and herself probably very well but it's so much an expected character as written that you're almost a little ashamed to see the expected coming from Derek. Paul Fonoroff, Henry Fong, Terence Yin, Andrew Lin, Ken Wong, Chin Ka-Lok and Vincent Sze also make appearances.

So returning to the question and theory that Derek Yee should've plotted his next move more carefully, I'd say yes ultimately because Drink Drank Drunk really is unremarkable and has little signs of the veteran director's competent narrative- and character touches. His goal may have been to once and for all try and give the world a romantic comedy like a good filmmaker would but he can't beat the lame audience pleasing characteristics that apparently has to be there regardless. When the movie then shifts to a semi-serious nature, he shows a more distinct touch to what in reality is shallow themes, character journeys and drama. With the help of relaxed genre veterans also, Drink Drank Drunk is very much acceptable. You'll swallow the brew but instantly will know that there should've come something better out of all this.

Long-time readers of this site will probably know that romantic comedies aren't my cup of tea, and Drink, Drank, Drunk didn't do much to change my opinion. It's the usual sort of stuff for a movie of this type -- boy meets girl, boy loses girl, a sappy Cantopop ballad plays, boy gets girl back. There are a couple of chuckles generated during the running time (mostly from Alex Fong, who plays a Triad boss who has a crush on Miriam), but most of the comedy falls flat, especially the jokes surrounding Vincent Kok, who plays Miriam's gay best friend and who delivers "zingers" that wouldn't even be put on a Will and Grace blooper reel. Perhaps if I was actually a fan of Miriam Yeung, I might have gotten more out of Drink, Drank, Drunk, but when you combine her annoying mannerisms (such as thinking that screaming at the top of her lungs equals comedy gold) along with a weak script, I can only give this movie a very mild recommendation.