R E V I E W

La Brassiere

China Star. 2001. 110 minutes.
Directed by Patrick Leung Pak-Kin and Chan Hing-Kar
Chan Hing Kar and Amy Chin Siu-Wai

With Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo, Carina Lau, Gigi Leung

B A C K G R O U N D
director, in cinemas, recent and related films

Patrick Leung Pak-Kin's previous film was Born Wild. Before that he made Somebody Up There Likes Me and Task Force. Chan Hing-Kar has written all of Leung's films, as well as contributed to many others, such as Thunderbolt, Option Zero, Hitman, and Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone.

The film opened in Hong Kong cinemas at the end of September 2001 and played for nearly two months. It was a good-sized hit, grossing HK $18.5 million.

M O V I E

plot
The head of a multinational lingerie maker based in Japan decides that the Hong Kong branch should hire men to design a new product, the "ultimate bra." The branch manager, Samantha, is not happy about it, and neither is the lead designer, Lena, but Johnny and Wayne come on board. Trouble is, they are completely clueless about bras. Will they succeed? And, since they are the only men in the all-women company, could love come knocking on their door?

performances
What is it about a comedy that makes it work? If you analyze jokes or humorous situations too closely, the fun goes away and it doesn't sound quite so hilarious. Indeed, a closer look would reveal that La Brassiere runs too long and relies too heavily on the charms of its leading characters to really stand on its own as a classic comedy. Considering how much I laughed, though, it seems churlish to nitpick.

Based on his long association with John Woo as assistant director and the films he has made on his own, it seems hard to believe that co-director Patrick Leung Pak-Kin could have made such a light and frothy piece of entertainment. Yet the pace, alternating between relaxed and snappy, is similar to that exhibited in his earlier Task Force. Co-director and co-writer Chan Hing-Kar also worked with John Woo (A Better Tomorrow) and has worked closely with Leung on his previous films. It would be interesting to learn how they divided the directing duties.

The production design of Ringo Fung Gai-Fai stands out. The offices of the bra company are 22nd Century in appearance yet completely functional. The sets inspire some of the comedy, in fact. The cinematography of Poon Yiu Ming is similarly sharp, keeping the light flattering for the romantic leads but also making the sets and locations look great. The ever-present and reliable Chan Kei-Hop did another fine job as film editor.The memorably enjoyable musical score was composed by Chiu Tsang Hei and Anthony Chue.

production
Lau Ching-Wan gives a bravura performance as Johnny. He's been away from Hong Kong films since the end of 1999, and this is the not a role I could picture him in, but he is at the top of his game, funny and romantic at the same time.

Louis Koo Tin-Lok may never have been sillier, but he looks like he had a good time while filming and that's certainly communicated through his performance. He and Lau Ching-Wan display good chemistry.

The two leading ladies, Carina Lau Ka-Ling and Gigi Leung Wing-Kei, may compete for your affections. Both are note-pefect.

Among the bra models are Higuchi Asuka (recently seen as a Japanese porn actress in You Shoot, I Shoot) and Rosemary Vanderbroucke (who also displayed her assets in Martial Angels).

rating
Category IIB for a bevy of women in their underwear, and a couple of sexual situations.

D V D

look
Sharp, crisp, and clear. The letterboxed (1.78:1) presentation looks very good, with vibrant and saturated colors and deep black levels. The source print betrays just a few imperfections.

sound
Two audio tracks are provided: Cantonese and Mandarin DD Pro Logic. DD 5.1 would have been even better, but the soundtrack as it is now sounds quite good. The Cantonese track includes some dialogue in English and Japanese.

subtitles
The white removable English subtitles are quite small but are well timed. Some misspellings and missing words mar a good translation. Also included are two different Chinese subtitle options: one displays subtitles only for English and Japanese dialogue, and the other displays subtitles for all the dialogue.

features
Twelve chapters can be selected from a video capture menu. The original theatrical trailer is included, as are trailers for The Legend of Zu and Failan. Select "Film Data" from the main menu and you're presented with a choice of Synopsis, Characters (quotes from the four lead characters), Deleted Scenes (a mix of deleted scenes and outtakes with no subtitles), Cast & Crew (brief biographies and film listings for the four lead actors and three key crew members), and a brief "Making Of" with Chinese subtitles only. The change in layers caused a brief pause on my player.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
buy, rent, or pass?

Buy. Very funny and will likely stand up to repeated viewing.

(Reviewed January 17, 2002)

THIS DVD IS AVAILABLE AT HKFLIX.COM