Chan won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the irrepressible but irresponsible party boy Bo in this film, directed by Teddy Chan, who also helmed the 2001 Jackie Chan flick The Accidental Spy and wrote the screenplay for Jet Li's Black Mask.

The film, produced by the United Filmmakers Organization (UFO) and released in Hong Kong as Wan 9 Zhao 5 (5pm to 9am), can be viewed as Hong Kong's answer to Singles or St. Elmo's Fire in that it portrays the exploits of group of, well, twenty-somethings linked by casual -- and sometimes intimate -- acquaintance, and their patronage of Hong Kong's nightlife. Like the characters in St. Elmo's Fire, many of the young protagonists of Twenty Something mess up their lives by making bad choices about booze, love and sex.

Especially the latter -- Twenty Something is a Category III (mature audiences) film, the Hong Kong equivalent of a strong R or NC-17 rating. It contains a number of erotic and explicit sex scenes and much nudity (although not full frontal) by both the male and female actors. The film declares its risqué intent in the opening scene, in which short-haired sex addict Jennifer (the cute-as-a-button Farini Cheung) gives Bo some early-morning oral sex in the front seat of his jeep. (Clever camera angles make it obvious what Jennifer is doing while revealing none of Bo's anatomy, which, according to a later comical scene in a men's washroom, is evidently impressive.)

Like the characters in Singles and St. Elmo's Fire, several of the young people of Twenty Something are poised at the threshold of joining adult society full-time. As the film's Cantonese title suggests, they work their day jobs, but still party at clubs and in apartments until late at night -- or early in the morning.

The bespectacled Tom (Moses Chan, who played the snide Inspector To in Gen-X Cops) wears a suit to his office job in a downtown high-rise and parties with his co-workers at night. Alice (the lovely Valerie Chow, who played Tony Leung Chiu-Wai's air hostess ex-girlfriend in Chungking Express) has a job in a film studio (actually, the UFO offices). Mick (Nelson Cheung) is a hospital X-ray technician, while Pat and Jennifer work at low-status office jobs. Jordan Chan's Bo, meanwhile, boasts no visible means of support and still lives with his mother. The main occupation of Alice's best friend Sue (Chow Yu Yau) seems to be one-night stands and suicide attempts.

The heavyset Pat seems to be the social center of the group -- she's the one who knows all of them -- yet she remains lovelorn. Practically the only male attention she receives is Bo teasing her about her weight. Rounding out the cast is the goateed bartender Martin, who dispenses romantic advice along with slinging drinks, and Keith Chan, a co-worker of Tom's who hovers around in hopes of scooping up any castoff girls.

As with Singles, the protagonists and supporting players are generally likeable, well-sketched and memorable -- an impressive achievement, given its relatively large cast. But Twenty Something isn't as affectionate toward its characters as Singles was. Rather, it adopts an attitude more reminiscent of the inferior Brat Pack flick St. Elmo's Fire.

Although the characterizations in St. Elmo's Fire are much more forgettable than in Singles, they did display more -- and perhaps more realistic -- flaws. (It's probably no accident that the most memorable characters in St. Elmo's Fire were those played by Demi Moore and Rob Lowe -- arguably the most messed-up of the bunch.) Twenty Something joins St. Elmo's Fire in viewing its characters' flaws less as eccentricities than as defects.

The viewer meets the various players as they call each other about meeting up at their hangout, a bar called Berlin, and then at the bar itself that night. Insight into the characters also comes via a series of staged "interview" segments in which they discuss their attitudes to life and sex.

Relationships soon begin to form among the characters. Mick, the hospital X-ray technician, sees the lovely film producer Alice at the bar, and gets a chance to introduce himself by tending to her friend Sue's self-inflicted wound. Smitten, he steadfastly courts Alice, and despite her initial reluctance, wins her over with his earnest charm. But once she moves in with him and life becomes routine, he begins obsessing over the lonely and self-destructive Sue, who harbors an unhealthy interest in her best friend's lover.

After following Jennifer from Bo's jeep to a washroom to work, the film cuts to an interview segment in which she discusses her unusual craving for sex. This impression is reinforced by the next scene, in which a doctor diagnoses a hormonal imbalance resulting in a supercharged sex drive.

Meanwhile, Tom, whose girlfriend has just left for Canada, starts prowling the bars that very night. He hooks up with party girl Jennifer, and the two of them quickly consummate their mutual attraction. Realizing that she's found a good thing in Tom -- he evidently satisfies her overactive libido -- Jennifer sets down the ground rules: They can continue their passionate encounters as long as they keep it casual; they can even see other people.

Unlike Mick and Alice, Tom and Jennifer maintain a high level of physical passion in their relationship, but she still shies from commitment. Their relationship begins to shows strain when Tom becomes serious. Although Jennifer seems to return Tom's love, she refuses to commit.

Bo, the high-spirited, extroverted party boy, goes through a different woman every night. In the interview segment, he confesses to not remembering anything about any of them, nor wanting to. Bo is called a “wizard on the dance floor,” a probable reference to Jordan Chan's earlier career as a professional dancer.

As the film progresses, the friends and lovers hang out, go to work, party, sing karaoke, squabble, make up and make out. Their paths and relationships intertwine. And since Hong Kong audiences don't expect a happy ending for every movie, the film doesn't provide one for everyone. The result is a more realistic, if less upbeat, conclusion that reflects the consequences of the characters' choices.

It's perhaps a result of cultural gender priorities that each of the male characters undergo more changes and character development than the women. Tom's girlfriend has barely left before he's cruising the bars, but before long he wants to stick with Jennifer. Mick seems at first almost like Prince Charming, but he quickly grows bored with the sameness of his relationship with Alice -- a security that Alice treasures -- and he engages in a risky flirtation with Sue. And the lively Bo encounters a crisis that changes his exuberant outlook greatly.

Yet throughout their appearance in the film, Jennifer remains capricious; Alice, conventional and Sue, self-destructive. Although the actresses are hardly slighted -- each is given plenty of dramatic moments -- their role seems to be to remain steady and reliable. There is, however, one notable exception: In an emotionally and erotically charged scene, the passion between Mick and Sue surfaces, leading Mick, Alice and Sue to make unconventional -- and, perhaps, fateful -- choices. Alice's choices during this confrontation are particularly surprising. (Memo to Mick: Dude, you don't deserve her.)

Chan's direction throughout is competent and professional. A talented and well-trained filmmaker, Chan composes his shots so that even expository conversations hold visual interest. And he's expert in creating the appropriate pacing and emotional content for his scenes.

Besides launching the impressive career of Jordan Chan, the film was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Twenty Something Taipei, produced by Teddy Chan...

Twenty Something is a minor but enjoyable effort by a talented director and cast. While not as upbeat as the unabashedly romantic Singles, it combines a cast of likable and memorable characters, solid, imaginative direction, and plenty of drama and erotic situations. And, of course, it's notable as the conspicuous debut of the inimitable Jordan Chan.