Reviewed by: STSH Date: 10/30/2010 Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 02/24/2007 Cherie Chung arrives in New York City to join her already established beau only to discover he's literally moved on without her. Chung finds peace of mind in a distant cousin (Chow Yun-fat) who's never been able to fully grasp the culture. Screenwriter Alex Law and director Mabel Cheung keep the tone of this critical darling, reteaming the popular synergy of stars Chow and Chung, far out of reach of the nominal fish-out-of-water narrative. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: leepifer Date: 05/07/2005 Summary: Surprising efficacity. I don't watch many drama/romance movies because i often miss some feelings for the outcome of the story;you know when you got the eye plan with sad music and the character says:"i want but i can't"! I didn't expect much from this one but Chow's presence is enough for me to pay attention.Just to precise,i don't like the comedies he did;it rarely fits him altough he's good and adorable for most people in those roles... And what was to occur occurred! I really was took by the story and Cherie Chung course from HK to NYC. Interesting point:USA. Jennifer(Cherie Chung)come to join his boyfriend,who is with another girl! Relations between her and Pan(CYF)take a sort of "When Harry met Sally" way. They play seduction game,noticing qualities in each other with discretion;and external events,of course, come to slow and cut their relations. So we just want to know how they can live together without their past(boyfriend...)or vices(gambling...). The film never falls in the melodramatic and annoying style.It stills stands dynamic,sensible and sometimes funny with an enough 1h35 lenght. Chow is excellent,natural and energetic! Cherie is pretty and play his part with accuracy! Those 2 feel good together and they make this movie very enjoyable!

Reviewed by: future113 Date: 05/28/2001 Summary: This one belongs to your HK collection This is one of those classic HK movies that any serious hk movie goer already has. It's a romance drama w/ chow yun fat(Figgy) and Cherie Chung(Jennifer). well I liked Jenniferl, she isn't 'hot' but she is attractive and the type of girl that you would want to marry. Anyways, the one thing that I most remember about this movie is the nice lullaby that Jennifer sang over the phone.... and also when Figgy was running up the street to go after Jennifer, a bit cliche but worked well for the movie.

Reviewed by: grimes Date: 04/07/2000 Ah, the 80's, a very scary time when it comes to fashion. That's alright, this is still a good movie, despite being set in New York during the late 80's (although some of the characters seem to think it's the first half of the decade, judging by the way they dress). The plot: Jennifer (Cherie Chung) comes to New York City as a student to join her boyfriend Vincent, who (big surprise) has already taken up with another woman (who dresses in an extremely amusing 80's way). She was helped over by her distant cousin "Figurehead" (or "Figgy"), played by Chow Yun-Fat. Anyone who watches the first five minutes of the film can probably figure out that the main plot thread of the film will be the relationship between Jennifer and Figgy. Indeed, this is the case. One interesting thing about this film is that it has very few sub-plots (really only one that has any importance at all), instead choosing to focus almost exclusively on the two main characters. This pays off. While the plot in An Autumn's Tale is more or less entirely predictable, it is easy to ignore this. We spend so much time with the two main characters that it is easy to care about what happens to them, without worrying about external factors like whether or not the plot is original or not. Chow Yun-Fat is great, as usual (I am continually amazed by the fact that he seems to be able to do literally anything as an actor). His character is a lovable ex-sailor who now spends most of his time gambling and hanging out. He seems to do this more out of inertia and lack of anything better to do, rather than some sort of character flaw. Cherie Chung is quite good as well. Despite the fact that her character, Jennifer, has recently come to America, she is not the wide-eyed innocent that immigrants are often portrayed as. This is a welcome change. There are many very nice touches in the script that flesh out the characters, such as the song that Jennifer sings to girl she babysits or the list Figgy writes on his mirror. However, beware of people speaking in English. The English dialogue is fairly bad and sounds wooden most of the time. Fortunately, there's not too much of this in the film so the suffering is minimal. An Autumn's Tale is a simple but very solid drama. I liked the fact that it's focus was so narrow and that it didn't clutter up the story with extraneous elements. I also liked the fact that it shows that falling in love is not necessarily a simple thing. The two characters obviously care deeply for each other, but have trouble deciding whether or not that means love. And it has a fabulous ending line.

Reviewed by: SUPERCOP Date: 12/27/1999 Summary: Charming low budget production..... Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting directed this light hearted, simplistic love story filmed on location in New York City. Chow Yun-fat earned a best actor nomination for his portrayal of Figgy, a fun loving ex-sailor assigned to show his distant cousin (Cherie Chung) the finer life of New York. Beautiful cinematography, finely crafted performances by the leads, and a simple, yet touching screenplay help rank this low budget production as one of the finest Hong Kong films of the 1980's. Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: jfierro Date: 12/21/1999 This movie had a huge influence on the romantic dramas coming out of Hong Kong. Instead of relying on a soap opera plot or incredible tragedy, this is a very understated movie about a nice guy who likes a girl, and tries to make her happy. Director Clara Law and screenwriter Alex Law (the same pair that created ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT and later NOW YOU SEE LOVE, NOW YOU DON'T) break new ground by developing the characters rather than throwing in unnecessary plot complications. Little touches like Chow's self-improvement list or dream of opening a seaside restaurant don't have a shattering effect, but make you care about the characters. And Cherie Chung and Chow Yun-Fat don't waste the fine writing, turning in perhaps their best performances.

Reviewed by: leh Date: 12/09/1999 Excellent acting, a very good movie; recommended.

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 A very moving and subtle love story, shot mostly in New York. Great performances of both Chow Yun-fat and Cherry Chung. Worth ten times movies like "SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE". [Reviewed by Martin Sauvageau]

Reviewed by: spinali Date: 12/08/1999 Summary: NULL Chow Yun-Fat is an amiable N.Y. big-mouth who gambles and brawls, but his thoughts turn to love when his distant cousin Cherie Chung arrives in the big city for college. They're a mismatched pair from the start, so most of the movie is silent yearning and embarrassment for the poor guy; Chung has rarely looked cuter, nor had a better part. Of course, the American bit actors are stuck with tin-ear dialogue that's silly beyond words; but if you can get beyond that and its travelogue feel, its very minor charms (i.e., nice visuals, Cherie Chung...uh, gee...I guess that's pretty much it) might appeal to you. (2/4) [Reviewed by Steve Spinali] Reviewer Score: 5