- Its humour is as dated as its sexist portrayal of women, its acting is unimpressive, and its script is scattershot
- Raymond Wong’s return to the franchise for the first time since 2012 is overdue, but all is certainly not well with this film. We can only hope this is the end
2/5 stars
Twenty-eight years has passed since the screwball comedy All's Well, End's Well became everyone's favourite title in Lunar New Year movie lore, but Raymond Wong Pak-ming, who played a major role in the 1992 film and has produced all eight instalments in the series so far, hasn't grown any wiser with time, it would appear.
All's Well, End's Well 2020, produced, directed and co-scripted by Wong (with his son Edmond Wong Chi-mun) marks his belated return to the series " his most recent contribution being four sequels released between 2009 and 2012. Anti-government protesters in Hong Kong have said they will boycott the film because of Wong's perceived pro-Beijing stance, and even neutrals should think twice before spending money to experience its dated humour and views on women.
The film adopts some of the basic character settings from the 1992 original but forgoes much of the fun it derived from bickering family members. It follows the exploits of the Yau brothers " Fu (Raymond Wong), Chung (Julian Cheung Chi-lam) and Chi (Louis Cheung Kai-chung) " expert swindlers who steal from the rich and give the money to charity.
Chung meets a con artist, Mona (Chrissie Chau Sau-na), at a casino and decides to scam her with his brothers; then they discover that she and her sister, Monroe (Dada Chan Ching) are noble thieves like themselves. Upon learning of the existence of the wicked Tam (Patrick Tam Yiu-man), a wealthy mobster with a fondness for diamonds, the two families join forces to swindle him.
Playing like one of those throwaway 1990s Hong Kong productions, Wong's story is too silly to truly engage viewers, but not quite absurd enough to be labelled surreal. From gambling scenes that do more to service the plot than entertain, to a climactic diamond heist that is pulled off via the staging of a totally amateur magic show, All's Well, End's Well 2020 is scattershot from start to finish.
None of the actors impress especially. Julian Cheung and Louis Cheung respectively play the roles Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing and Stephen Chow Sing-chi played in the 1992 film, but show barely a fraction of their charisma. It's also sad to see Chau and Chan, who are often flaunting their cleavages, asked to play targets of sexual harassment in a 2020 movie as if it's in any way funny.
The film sticks with the tradition of the series by having the protagonists marry in the final scene " even though it has made no effort whatsoever to suggest romance is blossoming between them in the preceding 90 minutes. If all goes well, All's Well, End's Well 2020 should mark the end of a franchise that long ago passed its sell-by date. This is a witless and instantly forgettable trifle.
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