Thursday, October 14, 2010

Perfect Wedding | 抱抱俏佳人 [ Movie Review ] *** 1/2

For the uninitiated, Perfect Wedding might sound like a romantic comedy on the trials and tribulation for a couple preparing their perfect wedding. It felt like a dodgy film project that funded by bridal shops with lots of not so subtle product placements.

Then there's the apparent mismatch with Miriam Yeung and Raymond Lam as a couple. To make matters worse, Miriam Yeung had already been romancing a younger co star earlier this year (Love in a Puff) and it makes one wonder how many more movies will Miriam Yeung be pair up with a younger male co-star.

But surprise surprise, Perfect Wedding turned out to an unexpected delight.

Instead of a build up to the perfect wedding, Perfect Wedding was actually all about a 30 + successful wedding planner Yan (Miriam Yeung) and her unsuccessful love life. After hooking up with a young attorney Fung (Raymond Lam), their passionate one night stand unwittingly became a working relationship when Fung's boss owed Yan 30 wedding officiants duties and had left Hong Kong. As Yan and Fung worked together to help various couples' with their idealized wedding, their own romance started to blossom.

But their journey to marital bliss were besieged by various issues and people around them. Yan was still troubled by the fact that her previous boyfriend left her at the altar. She was plagued with worries on their May–December romance and lacks the confidence to come clean with their relationship in front of her friends and co workers. Fung frustrated by Yan's inability to be upfront with their relationship, had unexpectedly found admiration from a very hot co worker (played by the very hot Chrissie Chau).

It's a fairly predictable plotline and not exactly well executed but what really shine for Perfect Wedding was the actors performance, the witty dialogues and the comedic timing.

Miriam Yeung and Raymond Lam were charming and engaging in their respective roles. It's easy to feel happy and sad for them as they go through their ups and downs. Their age disparity was acknowledged and worked well into the story to sell the concept of them being lovers. It's easy to feel their disappointment and confusion as they tackle various obstacles that set them apart.

Beside that, they are backed by comedic veterans like Teresa Mo and Eric Kot with hotties like Bernice Liu, Chrissie Chau and Kate Tsui. The supporting cast provides the additional witty humour and eye candy that made Perfect Wedding even more enjoyable.

Though the humorous bantering between characters would have been better appreciated in Cantonese soundtracks, the Mandarin dialogue was piercing enough to bring out the good o' sidesplitting Hong Kong sarcasm. It's fast and unadulterated Hong Kong humour that bring back the times before Hong Kong movie started to cater to the China market.

Last but not least, the comedic timing to capture the cast performance and the witty dialogue. This is the hardest part and it varies from individual perception. If a sequence is cut too late or placed at a wrong angle, the comedic feel might come off differently. Perfect Wedding managed to do everything just right to capture the good vibe of the show and hits the sweet spot for laughter time after time.

Perfect Wedding is one of those gems that comes along and unexpectedly sweep you off your feet. The blend of humor and heartfelt realism in relationship made this movie unforgettable and memorable. Can't wait to get my hands on the Cantonese version of this movie.

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