Chinese New Year comedies tend to follow a very well defined pattern i.e. star-studded, glossy and little substance. Although 'The Fun, The Luck And The Tycoon' is certainly full of stars (including pop group 'Beyond') it thankfully offers more entertainment than many other films that have succeeded during the holiday periods. Following the plotline that was tried and tested even before 'Coming To America', director Johnnie To manages to create a fun comedy that is more cohesive than perhaps could have been expected. Chow Yun Fat gives a performance more akin to 'Diary Of A Big Man' than the hopelessly over-the-top 'Eighth Happiness' or 'The Greatest Lover' and this is again a definite plus point. Chow is joined by the always professional Sylvia Chang who handles the romantic role very well, while the farcical antics are left up to Nina Li-Chi and Lawrence Cheng. 'The Fun, The Luck And The Tycoon' is not hilarious or particularly side-splitting, but the humour is such that it hits the mark in a subtle manner. Therefore this is an agreeable Chow Yun Fat comedy that is mostly successful in its modest ambitions.

PICTURE: As with other Chow Yun Fat comedies released by Universe, this is a good, solid print. Colours remain pretty good throughout though slight colour bleeding and a little too much softness take the shine away from the print.

TRAILERS: 'The Fun, The Luck And The Tycoon', 'Diary Of A Big Man', ' The Greatest Lover' and 'Spiritual Love'.

TALENT FILES: Ones for Chow Yun Fat, Sylvia Chang, Johnnie To.

Chow Yun Fat plays the Richest Man In Hong Kong, Lam Po Sang, as well as most probably the most amiable. (The English subtitles romanize his name as 'Bo' instead of 'Po', so if you're watching the English sub his nickname will be BoBo instead of PoPo.) PoPo is more interested in enjoying life than being wealthy, and seems to take everything with a grin and good humor, except for one small problem: as the film opens, this is the year in which he is required by his father's will to be married.

PoPo has the unenviable fate of facing an arranged marriage with his cousin Cindy, an insufferable spoiled brat who wants him only for his money. When PoPo objects to his butler Fatso about the arrangement, Fatso tells him "only ordinary people can choose their wives". This is all the prompting PoPo needs to trade in his brocade smoking jacket for Fatso's butler's uniform and PoPo leaves abruptly into the night, glancing back only to toss his gold Rolex to a horrified maid. Paddling away from his hilltop palace overlooking Hong Kong Harbor, he comes by chance onto a fete being given for a local charity. Still wearing Fatso's uniform, he is mistaken as a butler by the restaurant catering the party and this is how he meets up with Ah Yuk the co-owner of the restaurant, her brother and the company's five employees (4 of whom are played by the pop band Beyond). PoPo seems to be infatuated at first sight with Ah Yuk, who in a fit of frustration at the tightwad attendees at the charity fete, inadvertently starts a food fight. PoPo is taken with her innocence, charm and her indignation at those who have money but use it only for vain boasting, not a worthy cause.

PoPo shows up at Ah Yuk's restaurant the next morning and gets a job there as a simple busboy. He seems ecstatic to be doing the simple tasks that "ordinary people" do, singing (as only Chow Yun Fat can sing) as he mops the floor and takes out the trash. He rewards himself with little glimpses of Ah Yuk, performing small kindnesses for her, and it is clear that he is falling in love with his unassuming and sweet natured boss.

Being the Richest Man In Hong Kong he's not exactly invisible, and after a while the only people who are unaware of PoPo's lark as a busboy are Ah Yuk and the other restaurant employees. Cindy, Fatso and a host of other people are all after PoPo for one reason or another, some to help and some to hinder, and much comedic mayhem ensues as PoPo tries in vain to get up both the courage and the privacy to declare his love to Ah Yuk.

One of the highlights of the film is the second role which Chow Yun Fat plays, that of Stink the cab driver. There is a great scene in which PoPo is sitting in the back of Stink's cab, listening to the cabbie banter of Stink, with a big grin on his face. (Taxi driver is one of the menial jobs which Chow Yun Fat held before he became a television star.)

Unlike some of his other slapstick comedies, Chow Yun Fat plays this one down rather than up, and his performance is broad but still understated. PoPo's unfailing geniality and kindness make him a refreshing change from the "snobby rich man gets taught a lesson by poor girl" plots that are seen so often out of Hollywood. This seems to be a role which Chow Yun Fat enjoyed playing, that of a straightforward leading man in a romance with touches of slapstick comedy and lots of general good humor. He is dressed to perfection, from his bright red tuxedo to his busboy outfit, and he lights up the screen with lots of engaging smiles. There are many sweet scenes between PoPo and Ah Yuk, but almost no physical contact until he sets an engagement ring (a rhinestone ring he bought with his first meager busboy paycheck) upon her finger. All of the romance is in glances and pauses instead of dialogue and action. Chow Yun Fat has always been talented at communicating pages and pages of script with just his facial expressions, and in this one he gets the happy chance to show lots of joy - again, a nice change from the heavy, tragic roles which usually call for that particular talent.

The subtitles on this film are better than average, although still not as good as one would like, especially for such a big-budget effort. There is no problem reading them, the spelling is overall quite acceptable and word usage and grammar are not bad for a Hong Kong film from this period.

If you've never seen a Chow Yun Fat comedy, this is probably the one for you. His other comedic works tend to be broad ("Diary Of A Big Man") or a little on the odd side for some Western tastes ("The Eighth Happiness").

If you just like looking at the Most Handsome Man In Hong Kong, this film is DEFINITELY for you.

Why Would I Like This Movie? Wonderful comedy, performed brilliantly, in front of lavishly and beautifully filmed sets.

Why Wouldn't I Like This Movie? If your political sensitivities lurch into the movie, you may be annoyed by the easy redemption afforded to our hero, the billionaire. And there are some moments which may not sit as well with North American audiences (the usual gender roles, etc.) but IMHO TFTLATT has very few real flaws.

HKFlix Rating: 9.5/10: (Arthouse Rating: 4.5/5. Entertainment Value: 5/5.)