FLIRTING IN THE AIR (唐伯虎冲上云霄) (2014)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Aman Chang
Cast: Chapman To, Dada Chan, Lam Tze Chung, Dominic Ho, Ben Cheung, Connie Man, Jim Chim
RunTime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: M18 (Mature Content and Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 9 October 2014

Synopsis: Airline pilots Cool (Chapman To), Sam (Lam Tze Chung) and Guy (Dominic Ho) were proud womanizers whom all took tremendous pleasure in making rounds with every stewardess they came across. But one day during a seemingly routine flight, they encountered a violent magnetic storm that sent them falling through a wormhole. Upon landing, they assumed the storm had blown them off course onto a film set, but in reality, they had travelled back in time to Ming Dynasty.

Movie Review:

If ever you need any reassurance that Wong Jing has not dulled his crasser sensibilities since entering the Mainland market with blockbusters like ‘From Vegas to Macau’, then look no further than ‘Flirting in the Air’. Reteaming with his ‘Mr and Mrs Player’ lead star Chapman To, Wong Jing has written and produced a period sexual farce so cheerfully asinine that you’ll feel guilty begrudging it for being essentially low-brow entertainment, as evidenced by the number of times it gleefully hits below the belt (both literally and figuratively).

To engineer the change of scenery, Wong inserts a time-travelling element in order for To’s horny airplane pilot dubbed Captain Cool – as an obvious reference to Julian Cheung’s character’s nickname in the enormously popular TVB series ‘Triumph in the Skies II’ – to travel to the Ming Dynasty and fall in love with an ancestor of his first girlfriend (both of which are played by ‘Vulgaria’ actress Dada Chan). Of course, as such shenanigans go (think ‘SDU: Sex Duties Unit’), To won’t be alone; instead, he is joined by the archetypal ‘fat guy’ played by Lam Tze Chung and the equally familiar ‘sissy-fied’ metrosexual played by Dominic Ho.

Plot-wise, there is little that is noteworthy; the Chinese title hints at a run-in with the legendary Tang Bohu (Ben Cheung) and after some bumbling around, the trio “from 2014 Hong Kong” as they love to reiterate at the start find themselves in the residence where Tang’s lover Autumn (Connie Man) is a lowly maid. While Cool manages to get in as a male servant, his other two associates sneak in by disguising themselves as maids – which, in a Wong Jing movie, means that Sam (Tze Chung) and Guy (Ho) will get ample opportunities to throw lecherous glances at their fellow members of the opposite gender.

Those who are familiar with the filmmaker’s oeuvre will also recognise other similar traits – from mistaken identities to cross-dressing to dildo gags to martial arts to cheap special effects and even to mah-jong playing, Wong’s trademarks are unmistakable. And that is even though he isn’t the director here; rather, his frequent collaborator in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Aman Chang, assumes the role of helmer here, albeit without any particular flair. Yes, this is a movie that is as good as the gags that Wong has scripted and that Chang has staged – and while some like the discovery of the pleasures of a modern-day vibrator are amusing, others like a love potion that leaves men (and women) in heat are somewhat tired and over-used.

Thankfully, the hit-to-miss ratio here tends to tip in favour of the former, and it doesn’t hurt that Chang moves the proceedings at such a brisk clip that you won’t quite remember just what had fallen flat. A large part of the movie also rests on the shoulders of Chapman To and his two supporting actors, and the ever consummate comedian’s delivery is spot-on in both tone and timing. One however wishes that he had more scenes with his female co-star Dada Chan, who is largely sidelined until the last quarter of the movie despite sharing good chemistry with To in their more intimate scenes.

Yes, a movie like ‘Flirting in the Air’ knows its audience and doesn’t try to be anything more; so if you’re already a fan of Wong Jing’s brand of ‘mo-lei-tau’ sexist comedy, then you’ll find plenty of familiar but nonetheless effective laughs. Sure it is borderline chauvinistic and even slightly misogynistic, but hey that’s Wong Jing at some will say his best and others will claim his worst. And yet if it’s irreverent you’re looking for, it’s irreverent you will get, so we urge you for enjoy it for the guilty pleasure that it offers. 

Movie Rating:

(Cheerfully irreverent or offensively sexist – Wong Jing returns to his crasser sensibilities for better or for worse)

Review by Gabriel Chong