ALARIS' REVIEWS

3rd December 2010
Wing Chun (1994)

Now this is how you do a comedy of errors.

Wing Chun is your typical, 1990s Hong Kong comedy. The acting is over the top, the humour often silly, and the sound effects absurdly exaggerated and occasionally out of sync. However, after She’s the Man, Wing Chun is also quite enjoyable. Admittedly, if Hong Kong slapstick makes you uncomfortable, proceed no further.

Everything that She’s the Man did wrong, Wing Chun did right.

Set in a modest town in feudal China, Wing Chun (Michelle Yeoh) is a skilled martial artist who leads a quiet life in a tofu shop with her well meaning, loud mouthed aunt, Abacus Fong (King-Tan Yuen). Wing Chun’s fighting prowess and her tendency to dress as a man are a constant headache to her father, who would rather see her married off. Cue vengeful bandits, crafty suitors, long distance fiancés, and a desolate, beautiful widow needing a place to stay, and you have the ingredients for comic hijinks.

Fortunately, the guy pulling it all together is director Yuen Woo Ping, veteran of such classic Hong Kong comedies as Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (1978). Wing Chun isn’t a polished movie, and finesse isn’t in its vocabulary, but it has the right voice, with intent, empathy, and humour.

Wing Chun is pretty average in many respects, but it stomps all over She’s the Man where it counts.

One: The main characters are likeable. Michelle Yeoh is dignified and gracious as Wing Chun, a reserved, compassionate woman who recognises, without bitterness, the sacrifices she has made for her independence. Her former childhood friend, Leung Pok To (Donnie Yen) is a sweet, confused young man, whose anachronistic views go on an unexpected ride. Even the overbearing, tactless aunt has affection and self respect, in her own way, and her honesty is quite comical.

Two: The characters are believable. Despite the generous slapstick and the outrageous over acting, the key characters have moments of truthfulness and empathy. Wing Chun remains true to herself, despite the battle between her independence and her affections. Unlike Viola in She’s the Man, Wing Chun wins the respect of her peers not by stooping to their level, but by rising above it. There are scenes of genuine connection wedged between the comedy, including a surprisingly poignant scene discussing the tepid aspirations of ordinary women in feudal China.

Three: The movie is funny. Sure, if you hate Hong Kong slapstick, you should have stopped reading six paragraphs ago. But where She’s the Man confuses frantic activity with humour, Wing Chun realises that this kind of comedy needs a measure of cleverness. Mistaken identities, chains of confusion, witty wordplays with multiple meanings, misinterpreted interactions. Contrived misunderstandings are infuriating in a tragedy, but in a comedy, it’s all good.

Four: The tone is positive and convincing. My biggest complaint about She’s the Man is that it doesn’t feel like it was written by someone who cares about female characters, or in fact, likes female characters. In She’s the Man, the female characters tend to be obnoxious, shrill, brittle, manipulative, desperate and creepy. But the lead male is a sensitive, nice guy. In contrast, there’s no shortage of strong, female characters being portrayed sympathetically in Wing Chun. And the lead male character is also kind and heroic. Wing Chun feels like it was written by someone who not only empathises with women’s circumstances, but also admires heroic women.

Wing Chun isn’t a golden classic of Hong Kong action comedy, but it’s entertaining, unexpectedly thoughtful at times, and has plenty of action. There’s even a highly improbably battle involving a platter of tofu.

Verdict: An enjoyable action comedy – not sophisticated, but easy to watch.

If you like The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1982), you might like this.