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ª÷ªK¥É¸­2 (1996)
Who's the Woman, Who's the Man


Reviewed by: Sydneyguy
Date: 08/16/2003
Summary: I put my hand up with MilesC and grimes

I am in the minority who actually liked this a lot more than the 1st movie!!

This movie left right where the first movie finished. But this is a less serious movie, in fact a lot funnier and engaging.

You enter the world of the characters more easily and the topic of sexuality is explored well. I felt good after watching this because i expected this to be more boring than the first movie. I am glad i did watch this, worth a viewing!!

CAn i just say that Jordan chan will do anything to get a woman into bed!!

7.25/10


Reviewed by: Stardust
Date: 07/15/2002
Summary: A Far Cry From The Original

Once again, filmmakers attempt to, and fail, to make a better sequel to an already-successful movie. The first one was perfect; an all time original favorite of mine, in fact. Then the sequel had to come out and ruin the classic image already created. Why couldn't they leave the original ending as it is?

The first movie had a storyline unlike typical HK movies. The cast was great, and everything was fresh. An inside look on showbiz politics, desperate lies, crazy fans, and the hunger for stars and stardom.

This sequel is a continuation of the first; it starts off at the exact moment that the original left off of, and new characters are added.

While the original has no dull moments and plenty of laughs, this movie is a drag. Its main focus isn't about the entertainment industry but about gender confusion. Anita Mui is relied on completely to create a variety for everyone, since the characters of Leslie Cheung and Anita Yuen have been well developed already in the original. Theresa Lee is unnecessary here, and Jordan Chan is given a bigger (but pathetic) role opposite her.

Maybe it was just me, but the movie seemed endless and boring. The spark from the original was gone, and the characters that I used to root for are now just plain annoying. Just watch the original and leave it at that.

Rating: 3.5/10

Reviewer Score: 3

Reviewed by: danton
Date: 01/03/2002

Sequel to Peter Chan's comedy about gender confusion, He's a Woman She's a Man, again starring Anita Yuen and Leslie Cheung, and this time adding Anita Mui to the fray (when has she not turned downed an opportunity to put on a beard???). This is a true sequel that picks up the story where the first movie ended, so it is definitely recommended to watch part 1 first.

Once again we have some mild spoofs of the HK entertainment industry and the crazy levels of idol worship among fans (they could have done so much more with that), but as in part 1, this serves as mere backdrop for the love story between Anita and Leslie and all the questions about gender preferences raised by that relationship. For those who haven't seen part 1, here's the premise: Anita plays a woman who dresses up as a man to take part in an audition for a new singer. She meets and falls in love with Leslie Cheung playing a famous composer/producer. He is attracted to her as well (thinking she is a man) and becomes worried about having turned gay. In the end they get together (the public now of course thinking he is indeed gay, not knowing that Anita is in fact a woman). The irony here of course is Leslie Cheung's own gender preferences, which are well known. I found all this mildly amusing at best in part 1, and it doesn't get any better in the sequel. Once again, gender confusion reigns surpreme, aided by disguises, masks and various farcical shenanigans. Women fall in love with women disguised as men, men dress up as women to attract a lesbian. All of this is played mostly as farce and provides neither true comedy nor any insights into actual gender issues. And Anita Yuen has to be the most annoying actress ever to come out of HK - she whines, screams, cries, pouts and constantly talks either in a shrill voice that's meant to be quirky, or a babygirl voice that's meant to be cute. The only one who rises above the fray - as always - is Anita Mui, who adds the only real emotion to this contrived effort.
Supporting characters are played by Theresa Lee and Jordan Chan, as well as Eric Tsang.

The movie tries very hard to be a sophisticated intelligent comedy, but rarely succeeds. I'd give it a marginal recommendation at best.


Reviewed by: Siu Hung
Date: 08/18/2000
Summary: This was a funny movie:)

as far as i'm concern this movie rox! not because it's funny but becuz it touched base on a lot of sexuality issues and love. i didn't like the ending cuz it must have dragged on for hours, or so it seemed. but i luv the relationship between the two anitas. the characters are very developed and so does their relation and u can almost feel the attraction fan fan felt when she's certain she's found her "white rabbit." I didn't think they would kiss becuz scenes like that tend to upset the ideologically conservative atmosphere of HK, and after the scene in fan fan's apartment i didn't think they would ever kiss. but they did and for the first time i actually see two women kissing in a hong kong movie...here in US it's not that surprising, but for hong kong...yes it caught me by surprise that the two actress actually kissed...nice kiss scene btw:) passionate but not deeply passionate.

jordan chan and the lesbian were stock characters even though it would b nice if the director gave the audience more insight into the lesbian and her life. it always seems as if she's a lesbian becuz she can't love men and doesn't want to...certainly that is how most lesbians feel but that is not the ONLY reason why they're lesbians...same thing w/the gay guys (i'm not sure what the correct title of their job is)...they were shown as stereotypical gay characters...men who act fruity and like to dance...not all gay men are like that...they also have their own share of the butch/femme dynamic.

despite this fault the movie was flawless. this is one movie w/good character development in terms of sexuality and emotion. what struck me was anita mui's role. she's not a lesbian and doesn't come off as one towards the end although a case can be made for bisexuality. but her main objective coming bck to HK was to find that first love that she never experienced and she just happened to find it in Wing. as mentioned b4 by others in this forum, this movie was very progressive and the first of its kind.

8.5/10

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: MilesC
Date: 08/04/2000
Summary: I liked it!

I pretty much agree with Grimes, below; the first movie took a fairly off-the-wall premise and played it way too straight. It just didn't go as far as such a silly concept should have. The sequel, however, has all the zany-but-tasteful sexual antics you could hope for, plus the hilarious dancing remodelers. The only real downside is that the end is dragged out; two or three times there's a crane-shot or a fade-out, and you think "okay, roll credits, perfect" and then it just keeps going. Overall, this is a funny (I've arrived as a fan; I get the Cantonese name-play/love-life inside jokes!)and rather endearing movie, and its treatment of homosexuality is, at least for Hong Kong, pretty progressive. There's some stuff in here that wouldn't sit well with PC types in America, but if you've seen other films' treatment... Well, at least Chan Ho-San was honestly trying.


Reviewed by: grimes
Date: 04/08/2000

Well, I may be one of the few people out there who really didn't like He is a Woman, She is a Man, which is the prequel to
Who's the Woman, Who's the Man. Though I thought it had an interesting concept, the execution was a bit spotty and it
didn't explore many of the interesting issues that it raised.

Who's the Woman, Who's the Man picks up literally from the last scene of its prequel so it is somewhat necessary to watch
He is a Woman, She is a Man first. A brief plot summary:

The film opens with Wing (Anita Yuen) moving in with Sam (Leslie Cheung), along with her best friend Fish (Jordan Chan).
She immediately decides to redecorate the apartment. Sam is a man who likes his own space and all these changes are hard
on him, which affects his relationship with Wing. To get some space, he encourages her to go back to her singing career, as
a man, of course. When she wins an award and says "I love you, Sam" during her acceptance speech, the whole world thinks
that they are gay lovers, which bothers Sam quite a bit.

Meanwhile, former pop star Fan Fan (Anita Mui), who is hetero, moves in downstairs with her lesbian friend O (Theresa Lee).
Fan Fan and Sam have a one night stand, which they both conceal from Wing. Later, Fan Fan and Wing become good
friends (though Fan Fan still thinks Wing is a man) and Wing asks Fan Fan to pretend to be her girlfriend for Sam's sake.
Meanwhile, Fan Fan is falling in love with Wing and Wing finds herself responding.

There is also a subplot between Fish and O. Fish is extremely attracted to O, who finds men revolting (at least sexually), so
he starts shaving his legs and dressing up as a woman to pique her interest. This subplot is pure comic relief, but it is quite
funny. Jordan Chan has significantly more time in this film than its prequel, and that can't be anything but a good thing.

Who's the Woman, Who's the Man does exactly what its prequel should have done, but didn't, which is explore sexuality,
particularly as it relates to one's self-perception and the way society treats homosexuals. It does this in a very amusing way,
and has the feel of French sex farce, with everyone being attracted to one another at various times, sometimes
consummating the relationship and sometimes not. At the same time, the issues it deals with are quite serious.

The film is guaranteed to offend conservatives with its conclusions about human sexuality, but I was close to cheering a few
times. I was also laughing constantly. All the performances were good, though I particularly loved Jordan Chan (he is great
as a weirdo in a comic role). There are some scenes satirizing the Hong Kong music industry that I only picked up a small
portion of. I also enjoyed Eric Tsang's reprise of his role as Aunitie, Sam's good friend, who is quite the flaming queen type.
Moses Chan has a fantastic cameo as an auditioning singer. For those of you who can recall his speaking voice, you will
realize why this is so funny.

I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised to see a film like this coming out of Hong Kong. Films that deal seriously with
human sexuality (particularly homosexuality) have been rare in the Hong Kong film industry until recently, having been the
almost exclusive province of American independents and the French. Of course, the fact that this film has the same writer as
the excellent Twenty Something maybe help explain how such a thing came to be.

The only real flaw I can see with this film is that to fully appreciate it you have to see He is a Woman, She is a Man. Having
seen Who's the Woman, Who's the Man, I'm considering watching the prequel once more to see if maybe I was just in a bad
mood when I saw it.


Reviewed by: jfierro
Date: 12/21/1999

Pretty much what you'd expect from an uninspired sequel. All the gags and classic moments from the first movie are milked for all they're worth here. Plenty of entertainment in-jokes and star cameos. There are enjoyable moments to the movie, but don't expect too much. Most of the time is spent trying to play games with everybody's sexual orientation. At times, the movie veers uncomfortably close to tacky Category III movies, where everybody ends up with everybody else sooner or later. It's almost what you would expect from stars at the end of their careers. Only Leslie Cheung looks like he was interested in more than just collecting a paycheck. A real disappointment considering that the normally dependable James Yuen was one of the scriptwriters.


Reviewed by: hktopten
Date: 12/21/1999

I will admit due to the hype and popularity of the first film I didn't like He is a Woman She is a Man, even though at the time I liked Anita Yuen. Now years later, I no longer like Anita Yuen as much as I used to and guess what, Wing simply annoyed the heck outta me this time around. Like many have said, this film isn't as good as the first one because it is missing the satire on the HK music scene, but so what? For the first time as at the risk of losing my Alan Tam fan status I will proclaim LESLIE CHEUNG KWOK WING was great at his role here, playing the typical little man who fears committment, injuring rumors, and the possibility of losing his woman to career or another woman flawlessly, lost between his love for Wing and himself. It's good to see Anita Mui Yim Fong back, unfortunately for most of the film she shared the screen almost sparklessly with Anita Yuen Wing Yi, the weak link of the movie. However, without that, the short time Anita Mui spent with Leslie would probably seem less precious. Had UFO had more time to think this film through instead of rushing it for a summer release we'd probably end up with a much better film. I would have liked to see a stronger love triangle by completing the triangle with Sam Koo and Fan Fan instead of the mere stroke we saw. Of course it was fun watching Jordan and Theresa having their fun, a part that may be pointless but nevertheless still entertaining, and the cameos from HK Popstars. If you loved the first one, I would recommend you to stay away. Otherwise, it's ok if you bored. Kudos to UFO and Leslie on fleshing out Sam Koo's character!


Reviewed by: pablo
Date: 12/09/1999

A sequel to _He Is A Woman She Is A Man_, the film picks upimmediately after the final scene of the former. Once Lam Chi Wing moves in with Sam Koo Ga Ming, Sam realizes he may have more than his PR department can handle. Things get more interesting when the great Fong Yim Mui returns from a ten year absence and becomes a part of their lives. There's no question that this is a film worth watching, but make sure you've seen _He Is A Woman She Is A Man_ first. The sequel doesn't make any attempt to recap the characters. This film wanders a bit at first, while Peter Chan Ho San puts in all the obligatory references to the original, before settling down into its own story and recreating the magic. Once the film gets going, everything falls into place. Peter reestablishes the subtly surreal mood and setting. Acting is first rate, although it takes both Anitas a little while to get going, and Jordan and Theresa are nothing more than comic relief. The only thing lacking is a killer song like 'Jui (Chase)'. As before, knowing the current HK music scene adds to the humor. And a little knowledge of Anita Mui Yim Fong's recent gossip adds to the poignancy of one of her scenes.


Reviewed by: spinali
Date: 12/08/1999
Summary: NULL

This sequel to the immensely entertaining She is a Man, He is a Woman definitely goes into uncharted territory for a mainstream HK film. Sam Koo (Leslie Cheung) is the successful songwriter who fell in love with his cute protege pop vocalist Wing (Anita Yuen); but everyone thinks Wing is a guy (well, an effeminate one), which in public situations, makes Sam look like he's gay. He has to put up with other annoyances as well: continual redecoration of this apartment, her inability to give him any breathing space, and the presence of her homely platonic pal (Jordan Chan). But the gender-bending becomes a bit knotty once bi-sexual pop-singer Miss Fan Fan (Anita Mui) enters the picture. First, she accidentally seduces Sam during a costume party (while wearing a duplicate of Wing's Whoopi Goldberg get-up; he's Woody Allen); next, she fosters a trusting relationship with Wing, who's heterosexual, or at least thinks she is, especially after they hit the sack. In the meantime, Jordan Chan shaves off all of his body hair and dresses in drag to win the attentions of Miss Fan Fan's cute lesbian pal. You've gotta admire the, er, balls of these filmmakers for taking their concept to the limit, but the concept is considerably more elegant than the execution. And in all my days of movie-watching, I've never seen a more determinedly tightlipped kisser than Yuen, even in the most passionate scenes; in the other scenes, she can be chatty and annoying -- and I really like her in most movies. Whatever your criticisms, this one sure is a novelty.

(2/4)



[Reviewed by Steve Spinali]

Reviewer Score: 5