[HKFF 2011] GIVE LOVE (Oi Tak Hei) (2008)

In Cantonese with English and Chinese subtitles

Genre: Romance/ Comedy
Director: Lee Ka-wing and Joe Ma
Cast: Gigi Leung, Chen Po-Lin
RunTime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: TBA
Official Website:

Screening Dates: 15 and 20 August 2011

Synopsis: Yat-tong has got a new flat mate named Leslie. Unfortunately Leslie soon gets divorced by her husband and is deeply immersed in sorrow. With Yat-tong's company, she breaks away from the sad history and starts her new life. They get along so well that obviously they are turning to be something more than friends, at least everyone around expects that would happen sooner or later. However, they have a huge barrier. Leslie's ex-husband is Yattong’s elder brother...

Movie Review:

Joe Ma is no newcomer to the rom-com scene, having made his mark in the mid-90s with mainstream hits such as “Feel 100%” and in the early 2000s with the “Love Undercover” trilogy. It is therefore baffling to find out that he is the director behind this Hong Kong/ China co-production “Give Love”, since it is just about one of the worst rom-coms we have seen.

Indeed, not even the return of rom-com darling Gigi Leung to the big screen is any consolation for just about some of the most appalling writing and directing we’ve seen in a while for a major feature film. Here, Gigi plays marketing manager Leslie Chan, newly married to Hilton (Mainland actor Shao Bing) and putting up in a Hong Kong apartment with her brother-in-law Yutong (Chen Po-lin).

Thing is, this isn’t the first time they have met- Yutong fell head over heels with her one year ago in a chance encounter. As fate would have it, Hilton is actually in love with his histrionic secretary and wants to break off his marriage to Leslie. How does Leslie react? Well just about the most righteous (read irritating) way possible- chastising his brother for his irresponsible ways, chastising an air stewardess for getting it on with his married friend (Shaun Tam) and chastising Leslie for drowning her sorrows with her best friend (Emily Kwan).

Does he make a move on her? Nope, for most of the movie, he’s just about too righteous to do that. And while his upright notion of love is certainly commendable, it is unlikely to win any accord among young adults today- especially not when Yutong is played by the dull and duller Chen Po-lin. Chen’s acting has no finesse whatsoever, and it is a pain watching him trying to be the moral virtuous person.

Meanwhile, he is not served by Joe Ma and Lee Ka-wing’s nonexistent direction. Though both of them share directorial credits, it is almost as if there were no director on set, as scenes run on for way too long, and continuity and editing are just absent. To begin with, Tong Yiu-Leung’s awful predictable script is nothing to shout about, but Ma and Lee make the faults so plainly glaring.

The only person trying to engage the audience is Gigi Leung, and the lass still remains as attractive as ever. Yet her best efforts are ultimately for naught, since the rest of the entire production can’t match her breezy, almost effortless charm. The rest of the Mainland actors will likely be unknowns to those outside China, and remains so given their nondescript performances.

Despite how terrible it was, “Give Love” actually managed to find a decent audience in China, which is truly disturbing to say the least. Ditto for Joe Ma’s career, since his later China production “My Sassy Girl 2” also suffered from the same appalling lack of merit. And don’t let the fact that this was bankrolled by the Hong Kong Film Development Fund fool you into thinking that this is quality cinema- it is absolutely not, and we urge you to catch “The Break-Up Club” instead of this drab if you’re looking at catching a rom-com during this year’s HKFF.

Movie Rating:

(Devoid of any and every filmmaking merit, this is an appalling bad rom-com that wastes the considerable talent of Gigi Leung)

Review by Gabriel Chong