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      King of Comedy

      1999 1h 30m Comedy List
      Reviews 70% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score After flopping as a film extra, a know-it-all amateur (Stephen Chow) gives acting lessons to a barmaid (Cecilia Cheung). Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (177) audience reviews
      其实,我是一个演员。 努力,奋斗! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/04/23 Full Review kevin y One of my favorite movies Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Just another Stephen Chow film where he neither plays soccer nor hustles kung-fu. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member what did i just watch. why did i watch it. so many questions. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Some really funny parts, some big tonal shifts, but it's short and if you get the cultural references and spoofs it works. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review jesse o Wouldn't you know it, another Stephen Chow film that I liked more than his, supposed, masterpiece, Kung Fu Hustle. Though, to be fair, I liked this less than almost all the other Stephen Chow films I liked more than Kung Fu Hustle. I realize that that last sentence was absolutely horrendously written, but it encompasses my feelings about this film. Main issue would definitely have to be its tonal inconsistencies. Parts of it are silly and goofy comedy, not as silly as some of Chow's films that came after this, but it's still silly. Parts of it are super serious and heavy handed drama that just doesn't, in any way whatsoever, mesh with the comedic aspects of the film. I think Chow certainly got better at incorporating the more dramatic aspects of his film as his career has progressed. This was also described on Netflix as being a parody of John Woo/Chow Yun Fat action films, and there are certainly hints of that, particularly in the climax, and during the various scenes they shoot for this fictional movie that Tin Sau is trying out for. But it's not a full-on spoof of these films, not in the least. Essentially it's Tin Sau's journey to achieve his dream of being a famous actor and the 'struggles' that entails when you're nothing but an extra. It's fairly simple and Tin Sau is a likable enough character to make the journey worth it. There's also the requisite romantic subplot with one of the hostess girls. Her background is pretty melodramatic. There are some moments where the film's dramatic aspects work, like when Tin Sau, after being cast in the lead role, is dropped for the actor the producers originally had in mind, but the rest of it isn't in the least bit subtle, or much good. The climax itself was decent and, yet again, felt completely out of place with the rest of the film. It's not that it's a deus ex machina, it's just that it doesn't fit within the context of the film you've been watching. It's just something that's completely random. The ending itself is also pretty goddamn weak, all things considered. So, throughout the entire film Tin Sau has been trying to produce this play. The ending finally sees them putting on the play in front of a large crowd thanks to the participation of a famous actress. So, before they get on stage, they're backstage and all the characters are talking. Meanwhile, they're all holding, one of them even has 2, cans of Pringles. They're shoving them into their mouths, making sure that the Pringles logo is seen on camera. I think this has seriously got to be the least subtle product placement I've ever seen in a film. It was terrible and this really dragged the movie down, to me. It was not a satisfying ending in the least. But, honestly, with all its flaws, I still found this film to be quite fun to watch. Its issues aside, I would recommend this as a Netflix watch and nothing else. It's a fun little movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Movie Info

      Synopsis After flopping as a film extra, a know-it-all amateur (Stephen Chow) gives acting lessons to a barmaid (Cecilia Cheung).
      Director
      Lee Lik-Chi, Stephen Chow
      Producer
      Yeung Kwok-fai
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      Chinese
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 4, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 30m