SHAOLIN SOCCER (Siu lam juk kau)
Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten Grade: B Miramax Films Directed by: Stephen Chow Written by: Stephen Chow, Kan-Cheung Tsang Cast: Stephen Chow, Vicki Zhao, Man Tat Ng, Yin Tse, Sarondar Li, Yut Fei Wong, Cecilia Cheung, Karen Mok, Kar- Ying Law Screened at: Sweetland, NYC, 7/23/03
Not long ago the expression was "sex sells." While that might still be true, film companies are focused more on the postmodern version, which is "kung fu sells." That's kung fu not as you might see it in a relatively sedate and disciplined club but with all the accouterments that computer generated imagery, well-trained stunt people and fine comedy can afford. If the box office success of the "Matrix" series, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and Jackie Chan's spoofs of the genre have not convinced you, Stephen Chow will take up the slack. If the publicists are correct that "Shaolin Soccer" enjoys the highest grosses in Hong Kong box office history, this madcap comedy, filled with Cantonese humor which, because of its emphasis on the visual, easily crosses over, should bring in American soccer moms who will never look on the skills of their twelve-year-old players with the same awe. Picture it now: "Why can't you be more like Stephen Chow?" to an unlucky youngsters who can barely kick the ball five feet, and "Why can't you be Vicky Zhao-wei," if the offspring happens to be a daughter.
In a lightly plotted story, part of which takes place on the streets of a large Chinese city (presumably Shanghai but filmed largely in Hong Kong), an assistant soccer coach, Fung (Ng Man-tat), has fallen upon hard times after having missed a crucial kick in a 1981 game. Having suffered a broken leg given to him by irate fans, he has become the patsy of a a former teammate, Hung (Patrick Tse) who owns Team Evil. When a monk from the Shaolin Temple, Sing (Stephen Chow), now a poor garbage collector, demonstrates his ability with a soccer ball, he and Fung decide to form a team and kick butt on the soccer field. Recruiting a bunch of losers, each of whom has a special skill (a fat guy can walk on air, a goalie can stop any shot, another can freeze a ball on his stomach), the two lead their team into the finals where a showdown takes place with the arrogant players of the Evil Team. Things look especially bad when a young woman with a gruesome complexion, Mui (Vicki Zhao), a dumpling maker who is the object of Sing's affection, is brought in to replace an injured goalie.
Here's a film that can be appreciated by fans of "Crouching Tiger" and "Ace Ventura" alike. There are no subtitles to read given the inevitably less-than-ideal dubbing, the slapstick is broad, the special effects in some cases turning the soccer ball into a flaming comet or a vicious tiger and in others exhibiting players who literally have fires lit behind them are dandy, even original.
We all root for the underdog, which is why "Seabiscuit" about a short, wobbly horse that seems barely fit to pull a milk wagon and becomes a national hero appeals to a broad audience. When a group of has-been Shaolin disciples can emerge triumphant after stocking toilet paper in supermarkets, cleaning toilets, and getting beer bottles broken over their heads the impact is universal.
Rated PG. 103 minutes.(c) 2003 by Harvey Karten at Harveycritic@cs.com
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