Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 08/10/2009 Summary: I bet that was funny. Several times while watching "Dancing Lion" I thought, "that is probably pretty funny" but having neither the language nor the context to appreciate the Cantonese puns and Hong Kong political/cultural/social/commercial references the jokes themselves were beyond me. Francis Ng's character has a slow and unexplained transformation from a 40 year old faux hip-hop guy who wouldn't know a gang sign from a stop sign to a committed leader of the Lion Dance community, taking on all comers—the police, the city administration, outraged citizens who get sick of the constant drumming, rival lion dancers from the Mainland—and finishing with a triumphant performance that satirizes at least on of the “Once Upon a Time in China” movies—the one in which Jet Li, as Wong Fei-Hung, runs across the backs of a bunch of people in order to get to the big fight. I think the ultimate battle between the two lion dance champions was taken from a scene in one of them as well. Anthony Wong must have been playing a character based on past movies—most of his dialog was set speeches declaimed as if he was haranguing a large crowd that hung on his every word. Since some of them were delivered in the kitchen of the family apartment, facing away from those eating dinner, they must have been a commentary on something. Can’t really rate “Dancing Lion” since so much of it was simply unavailable to this viewer. The lion dance costumes/props were well done and shot very well with plenty of extreme close-ups of blinking eyes and snapping mouths. Phillip Ko Fei was a very robust seeming octogenarian billionaire with a bit of powder in his hair and eyebrows, dark glasses and a bit of a stoop that came and went. Lin Yuan was cute as a cute young woman while Lam Tze-Chung seemed bemused which worked for the character Nine who was usually a step behind his partner Fai. If director Francis was in the chair while during actor Francis Ng’s scenes that made up the first half of the movie he needs some instruction on dealing with flamboyant actors.

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 07/15/2007 Francis Ng has always been known for being one of most outspoken actors working in Hong Kong; he's never been one to censor himself in interviews, especially when hit comes to the local movie industry. So it should come as no surprise that his third directorial effort, Dancing Lion, (which he helms along with Marco Mak) is a biting take on the notion of celebrity in Hong Kong. The end result is certainly entertaining -- that is, if the viewer is well-versed in the world of HK movies and pop culture. The film tells the story of two office workers (Ng and Lam Tze-Chung) who are forced to pariticpate in a talent show to save their jobs. Their lion dancing fails to keep their employment, but they become famous after a video of them dancing is posted on the internet. After getting training from their uncle (Anthony Wong) in dancing and their aunt (Teresa Mo) in business, the duo spin their fifteen minutes of fame into a lion dancing empire. Like I said before, how much enjoyment you get out of Dancing Lion is equal to how well-versed you are about Hong Kong. Sure, there's the requisite toliet humor and physical comedy, but most of the jokes featured here have several layers. It doesn't help matters for the non-Cantonese speakers that the DVD and VCD have terrible subtitles. Most viewers will be able to follow the story and get most of the jokes, but there's a huge level beneath the surface that a lot of westerners will probably miss. And that's a shame, because Dancing Lion is one of the best comedies to come out of Hong Kong in some time. What really sets it apart is that it trusts the viewer actually has a positive IQ, and doesn't insult them by dumbing down everything. The last scene in particular really brings this home. Breaking the fourth wall, the main actors talk about making NGs (no goods, aka out-takes). It's a very funny run of banter -- the actors are having a ball here and seem confident taking the gloves off -- and then there is a huge payoff when a joke is leveled against one of Hong Kong's most popular actresses. I won't spoil the gag for you, but in the few seconds it takes to say her name, the whole intent of Dancing Lion becomes clear, and it becomes much more than just another dopey Hong Kong comedy and something well worth your time. [review from www.hkfilm.net] Reviewer Score: 7