Fractured Follies (1988)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Chow Yun Fat plays Joe, who injures the sweet and pretty May played by Joey Wang. As compensation Joe works in May's dad's store which is just about to open up. The movie is as crazy as its name, sometimes in overdrive, but its the kind of slapstick comedy that was all the rage in HK, especially at the time. There is no need to go into what happens, but the film also has the beguiling Nina Li in it as Scarlet, a love starved vixen who has already buried (actually more "worn out") three husbands and has designs for Joe. Don't read the synopsis on the DVD, you'll get a shorthand version of what happens. Just put it on and enjoy, especially American audiences who don't see Chow Yun Fat let loose with his comic chops too often.

Okay, so it's not sophisticated humor, but this is a great comedy romance with two HK greats, Chow Yun-Fat and Joey Wong. How can you go wrong? Add in Nina Li Chi and you've got a great triangle going.Joey Wong plays May, a girl who was born with one leg an inch shorter than the other and thus walks with a slight limp. One day while she and her family are sprucing up the dumpy supermarket they just bought, May is involved in an accident with a runaway taxi driven by Joe (Chow Yun-Fat). His insurance had expired two days before, so he ends up being a sort of indentured servant to May's family to repay her medical costs and to assuage his guilt over having crippled her for life (or so he thinks, and May doesn't disabuse him of the notion).Nina Li Chi plays Scarlet, May's hot-to-trot cousin who has her sights set on the nerdy Joe. Joe falls for May, and Joe's brother Sea falls for Scarlet and... well, you get the idea.There are some really funny moments in this film - not only does Chow Yun-Fat dress up as Nina Li Chi at one point, but we also get to see him in pineapple drag talking about fresh fruits.The romance between Joe and May is sweet and has some awfully cute moments... right up to the point where Joe blushingly admits he's a virgin to May and asks her to take it easy on him on their wedding night. So it's not Voltaire, okay... there are jokes about piles, flashers in public toilets, Nina Li Chi pouting because she's horny and has already killed three husbands by wearing them out in bed. Still, this is great fun, Chow Yun-Fat as a nerd complete with thick glasses does a great job of some silly physical comedy and Joey Wong is just the prettiest thing you've ever seen.The scene where Buddah tells Joe about dating girls in Heaven ("they're very open-minded these days") is a hoot.Lots of fun. Put your brain in neutral and give it a watch.