WE ARE FAMILY
Starring: Eric Tsang, Carlos Chan, Catherine Chau Director: Benny Lau Category: IIA (Cantonese) 3.5/5 stars Eric Tsang Chi-wai may be best known today as the face of free-to-air Hong Kong television station TVB’s increasingly jaded vision of entertainment – courtesy of long-running, unashamedly lowbrow variety shows under the Super Trio banner – but once in a while he reminds us he can be a charismatic actor if he puts his mind to it.
Serving as both producer and lead actor, the veteran Hong Kong comedian’s latest film, We Are Family, sees him ride an emotional roller coaster that may well win over a few among his legions of detractors.
The story begins as a farcical showbiz satire and gradually morphs into a poignant drama about an impromptu family, before eventually slowing down and becoming a complete tear-jerker.
Tsang plays Chi-kwong, who we meet in the first scene as an extra on a film set. He proves a nuisance to everyone there purely because of his overzealous attempt to get his part right – think Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s character in 1999’s King of Comedy.
The ageing acting enthusiast is recruited by Carlos (Carlos Chan Ka-lok), the young boss of a rent-a-family company. The briskly paced first act includes various comedic episodes as Carlos, Chi-kwong and acting coach Catherine (Catherine Chau Ka-yee) take turns to satisfy clients who pay them to role-play as their substitute relatives.
One of Chi-kwong’s early assignments as a professional stand-in actor develops into a car chase, designed by action consultant Chin Ka-lok, a long-time accomplice of Tsang’s on the Super Trio shows.
The trio are then joined by Chi-kwong’s landlady, Fong (Tien Niu), in the wedding preparations of a bride-to-be who is enlisting their services – and it’s here that the lively screenplay by writer-director Benny Lau Wai-hang and his two co-writers switches gears to reveal the characters’ tragic backstories.
While the film’s descent into sentimental excess feels at odds with its funny opening, there is no denying the warm and fuzzy glow that the story imparts despite its abrupt changes in tones.
The phenomenon of rent-a-family businesses, well known in Japan but less so in Hong Kong, touches on issues of deception and ethical compromises – neither of which are addressed in
We Are Family. In its own engaging way, Lau’s take on the morally complicated scenarios instead stays heart-warming until the end. Edmund Lee
We Are Family opens in cinemas today