A Little TLC(w): Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002)

This Tony Leung Chiu-wai movie, a humorous send-up of Chinese epic period romances, actually reminds me a lot of something Shakespeare would’ve written, particularly Twelfth Night.  Now, I’m not saying it’s Shakespeare – although entertaining, it’s not good enough for that – but the themes and general sensibilities are very reminiscent of his comedies.

A princess runs away from palace life and, disguised as a man, arrives at a small village.  There, she meets Yilong, a “notorious” outlaw (his actual fearsomeness is in question,) and his tomboy sister Phoenix.  Phoenix falls for the disguised princess, and so does Yilong, although he mistakes his own attraction for a deep desire to find his sister the perfect man.  Male and female, high-born and common, confuse and collide in this romantic misadventure, and things only get more topsy-turvy when the princess’s brother, the young emperor, rolls into town on an ostensible quest to find her.

Cross-dressing, strong sibling bonds, and sexual confusion – how Twelfth Night is that, right?  In truth, this is a bit of a messy comedy, with the shenanigans getting overly-wacky in some places, but overall I like it.  It’s very hyper-stylized with some fun comedic ticks, like self-important voiceovers that don’t know what they’re talking about and occasional rewinds to dispute how this or that event really went down.  It boasts a strong cast including Faye Wong (Chungking Express, 2046,) who’s quite winning as the princess, a goofy Chen Chang (Happy Together, Red Cliff) as the emperor, and Wei Zhao (also from Red Cliff,) who brings a fun charm to Phoenix.

And of course, there’s Leung as Yilong.  I’m a little disappointed in the copy I find of the DVD, because I’m almost positive he’s dubbed in it – to my ignorant Western ears, I’m pretty sure it sounds like Mandarin, and it definitely doesn’t sound like Leung.  Not sure if it’s possible to see it elsewhere with a different language track, but I was admittedly bummed.  Still, the rest of the performance is a lot of fun.  Yilong is a minor scoundrel who’s a big believer in his own hype and yet simultaneously gets annoyed when villagers run from him in fear.  He’s more than a little arrogant without quite the brains he needs to back it up, although he cleans up well enough when the romance gets more earnest later in the film.

He has great chemistry with Wong’s princess.  Between the two of them, they take full advantage of the confusion inherent in the situation (man is attracted to man who’s really a woman in disguise, man convinces himself that his attraction is just strong friendship and being a good brother, woman in disguise is attracted to man but can’t make her feelings known because he thinks she’s a man.)  They’re sweetly hilarious, and in the more serious moments, they muster up a pretty lovely connection.

Recommend?

In General – Maybe.  It’s a little lightweight and cheesy in places, but it’s still very entertaining, especially if you enjoy that style of comedy.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai – Eh, I think so.  As silly as this movie is, it’s fun to watch an actor with Leung’s chops go completely for broke and commit to the comedy all the way.

Warnings

Drinking/smoking, light sexual content, mild violence, and some language.