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最愛女人購物狂 (2006)
The Shopaholics


Reviewed by: Hyomil
Date: 04/07/2011


Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: ewaffle
Date: 06/02/2009
Summary: Worth missing

“The Shopaholics” is a poorly written mess with only the undeniable star power of the two leads to recommend it. But all the talent of Lau Ching-Wan and Cecelia Cheung aren’t enough to overcome the slapdash, almost amateurish antics that made it onto the screen. Lau is Dr. Choosey Lee Kan-Yan, a famous psychiatrist who suffers from an almost paralyzing inability to make decisions—decisions about anything from who to marry to what to order for lunch. Cecelia Cheung is Fong Fong-Fong, a young woman abandoned as an infant in a high end woman’s clothing store “at the intersection of Prada, Gucci, Christian Dior and Valentino”. She is obsessed with acquired expensive gowns, shoes and accessories to the extent that she is crowded out of her apartment. As Richie Ho Kung-Fu, Jordan Chan is one of the richest but also one of the meanest young men in Hong Kong, a multi-billionaire who hates to part with a quarter for a daily newspaper.

Rounding out the talented but wasted cast is Ding Ding-Dong is a young woman suffering from horribly low self-esteem who regularly tries to kill herself by jumping from tall buildings. Played by Ellen Koon, she is a knockout with full lips, bedroom eyes, great hair and a lush body. Only in the movies would she be the consolation prize when it was time for the four of them to become two couples. The characters simply aren’t very interesting and become less so as the movie progresses. Old pros Law Kar-Ying, Wong Tin-Lam and Ha Chun-Chau walk through their cardboard thin roles and Maggie Shaw is wasted as a nurse who gives birth on a parquet floor of a shopping mall and the sidewalk on a busy commercial street. The last twenty minutes of the movie are a waste of talent, film stock and time.

There are no really memorable scenes, a few funny lines and periods of boredom that make driving across the flat expanses of the American plains seem exciting. A bad movie and not recommended.

Reviewer Score: 2

Reviewed by: JohnR
Date: 11/03/2006
Summary: Bad Silly

About 15 minutes worth of movie stretched into 91.

The pluses are that Lau Ching-Wan and Cecilia Cheung do their usual good work and there are some laughs.

The minuses are Jordan Chan's hamminess (not as much as Fantasia, but along similar lines - it's almost like his character is mentally retarded) but, most of all, there just isn't a full movie's worth of material here. (I'm being unfair to Jordan Chan, he was just doing what he was asked to do; in fact, most all of the characters are one-dimensional, cartoon-like, and dumb.) I was being patient at the beginning, waiting for the set-up to be completed so the movie could shift into high gear, but instead it slips into neutral and sits there revving - making a lot of noise but going nowhere. The sequence in which Dr. Luk (Paula Tsui)tries to get the four main characters to properly pair off became painful; I just wanted it to stop, but it went on and on, trying desperately to get the movie to the 91 minute mark.

And when that sequence did finally stop, Wai Ka-Fai throws in a miracle (involving little girls in angel costumes - what subtlety!) and a quick and-they-lived-happily-ever-after ending.

Was this movie about something? Possibly it has some meaning or significance to Hong Kong natives, but for me it was just a quick joke stretched out too far.

Reviewer Score: 4

Reviewed by: j.crawford
Date: 08/26/2006

Produced and directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Au Kin-Yee, Wai Ka-Fai finally hits full comedy stride with The Shopaholics. Since splitting with long time associate Johnnie To Kei-Fung, Wai's been mining old Hong Kong movies to work out his heavy-handed intellectual comedy scenarios. This film is quite delightful.

The material as directed gives the principal actors many chances to work their craft. Lau Ching-Wan gives his usual rubbery faced performance as the hard luck guy with a heart of gold. Cecelia Cheung Pak-Chi's character affords the actress plenty of chances to laugh, to cry, and to look forlorn.

If that previous sentence seems familiar, that is because I recently wrote the same thing about Derek Yee's Lost in Time. This is actually the third time Wai has worked with these two actors so they seem to finally have it right. The film is actually very funny and well-written. The proceedings are helped by the performances of Paula Tsui Siu-Fung, Ha Chun-Chau, and Law Kar-Ying. The production design is exquisite; the use of color outstanding. Veteran cinematographer Horace Wong Wing-Hang makes it all look great.


more at happyfortune.org

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: barrst
Date: 04/21/2006
Summary: Dumb, but kind of funny

Romantic comedy. Love triangle between Cecilia Cheung (a shopaholic), Lau Ching Wan (can't make up his mind), and Jordan Chan (tight with money). The film is pretty dumb but it eventually won me over.

Reviewer Score: 6