Hey folks, Valkor here. You know when I take suggestions from friends on what kind of films I should watch, sometimes it turns out the film was worth the effort; I've sat through the scariest, the most disturbing, and even the cheesiest of films. But when it comes to downright goofy, I'm on the fence. Sometimes I'll cross over and other times I'll steer clear of it. Parodies are hit and miss with me; I love the first two "Scary Movie" films, but the others I don't wanna watch. I loved the film "Mafia" but I can't stand "Epic Movie". So when I'm introduced to a new film, especially one on the silly side, I'm kind of hesitant. But when I watch it I'm usually all in until the end... unless it sucks extreme. The next film I laid my peepers on comes from China entitled "Big Movie". And it's as goofy as they come.
Big Movie is all about three characters who have an investment in this real estate property called "Clear Spring Estates". First up there's Peter Pan, a B-movie actor who works for the "Wenzhou Company", that's selling the estate. Peter is involved because he wants to make enough money to finance his next film. Then there's LooLoo, who has invested her boyfriend's money in the estates in hopes of making it big. But when the boyfriend finds out about the property, he gives her the info and then dumps her. Finally, there's Anderson (I love this guy), who runs a roast pigeon shop and invests his entire fortune on one property in hopes of being in on the ground floor of a big, moneymaking, investment. These three characters will come together when they find out that the plan for the site is to turn it into a dump. And it's up to the three to work together to try and make something of their investment.
"Big Movie" is a lot like "Meet the Spartans" or "Epic Movie", where they parody several movies, but unlike the aforementioned flicks, "Big Movie" doesn't hit you every two seconds with a different parody. The focus is the story and the three main characters , yet throughout, the film tosses in a joke from Hollywood films such as "Forrest Gump", "Ghost", "Brokeback Mountain", "The Ring", and even "Matrix Revolutions". They even make fun of internet hits such Asians dancing and lip syncing on webcam. But what did I really think?
The Good:
I kinda like the plot for "Big Movie". The whole real estate thing is a different spin for me and I found the film succeeds in this area. Mostly it does so due to the fact that the story is the focus and the jokes place second. The jokes themselves are not that bad, some are downright hilarious and some are just silly, but fun. The acting is also pretty sweet and I especially enjoyed Eric Tsang as "Anderson"; He sort of reminds me of a Chinese version of Curly from the "Three Stooges". And if someone in the China film industry ever decides to make a "Three Stooges" type flick with Chinese actors, then this is your Curly. Huang Bo as Peter pan is also a crack up. But for the cuteness, perfecty-viewness, and oh so delicious babe-dom goes to Yao Chen. Just mmmmm... And yea she's got some acting skills.
The Bad
While a lot of the jokes hit, there are far too many misses. The entire scene where Andersen is being chased by a cop, who loses his shirt, gets spit on by a woman who was brushing her teeth, then runs into a steam roller, well... Just no. The ending, while it's kinda nice and I like the whole "Curse of the Flying Daggers" spoof, went on way too long.
The Ugly
N/A
If you're into Asian cinema or you'd like to try something new, then definitely seek out "Big Movie" (Literal name is: Da Dianying Zhi Shubaiyi, but I think "Big Movie" is an easier pill to swallow). It has quite a few laughs and it's definitely fun and entertaining. Out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving Big Movie 3.5 stars out of 5.