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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
My wives are unconventional housewives..., 25 Feb 2006
Sometimes to get a good thing, you have to work for it. I mean REALLY work for it. And that is the case for the "Flirting Scholar," in a wacky comedy-romance about a guy who has to go to ridiculous lengths to get the girl. The movie gets unnecessarily gross in places, but it's also outrageously funny, especially with Stephen Chow as the hapless title character. Tong Pak Fu (Chow) is a famous, wealthy artist/poet/kung-fu master, with eight lovely wives. And he's miserable: His wives are rude, wreck his art and spend all their time gambling. But on a boys' day out, he sees the beautiful, kind Chen Heung (Gong Li), and falls madly in love with her. The only problem is, she can't get involved outside her household, so Tong Pak Fu sells himself as a workman. Through luck, skill and rapping, he manages to become the tutor to the formidable Madame Wah's (Pei-pei Cheng) two sons, and in a position where he can woo Chen Heung. Unfortunately, it turns out that Madame is an old enemy of Tong Pak Fu's family, and will kill him if she finds out his true identity. Can Tong Pak Fu escape and live happily ever after with Chen Heung? "Flirting Scholar" is basically a boy-meets-girl story, with some song-and-dance numbers and a lot of comic kung-fu. Yes, it's relentlessly silly, but once the plot gets going it's a very amusing light movie. Where else can you see Chow playing the William Tell Overture... with his pulse? Okay, this film isn't perfect -- several of the gags wear thin after awhile, like that crazed nymphomaniac maid. And please, enough vomiting. Half the people in here throw up. And it's worth noting that whoever did the translations for the DVD box needed to spell-check. When the title is misspelled, it's not a good sign. However, at the halfway point the plot really takes off -- though there's a subplot about somebody trying to stage a revolution, it's merely an excuse to have more comic fight scenes. And the director has some deliberate anachronisms, like Madame Wah announcing that Tong Pak Fu will be renamed Wah-shington. Stephen Chow is really the gem in all this. He raps, he dances, he plays tables like drums, and he even sings a song about chicken wings. But he also makes us really like Tong Pak Fu, who just wants a wife who understands him. And Gong Li makes a good love interest for Chow, since her Chen Heung is sweet and beautiful, but also smart and tough. While "Flirting Scholar" has some flaws (no more vomiting!), it's still a fun little romantic comedy. I like to eat chicken wings!
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