Goofy but
still kind of fun, a supernatural comedy that has some fairly amusing
bits. While it’s not without some major
corniness, I found it sort of enjoyable.
A pair of
small-time thieves get their shot at the majors when they’re offered what seems
like an easy job for an important client:
stealing a stuffed Garfield from a particular house. Easier said than done, though, when it turns
out the house is haunted by the ghost of the little boy. Inititally afraid, the thieves ultimately
become allies and decide to help the ghost avenge his own death so he can
reincarnate.
I like
this quite a bit better than Fantasy Romance, the other ghost-related comedy I’ve watched for A Little
TLC(w). It’s still not a great movie, or
even a particularly good one, but I do enjoy it more. The plot is a little tighter, the humor isn’t
quite as broad, and the slapstick is a bit better. Fantasy
Romance often feels like it’s doing whatever the hell it wants at any given
time, whether it makes sense or not, while Lucky
Encounter has at least a bit more of a plan for what it’s doing.
Not that
it isn’t hokey, because it most certainly is at times. It’s cheesy and slapsticky, and there are
moments where the plot feels paper-thin.
Still, it moves along quickly without feeling frenetic, and there’s
something likable about it.
Leung is
in more or less his usual late ‘80s/early ‘90s form. As King, one of the two thieves, he’s the slightly-dubious
brains of the operation. He’s not quite
as good as he pretends to be, but what he lacks in skill, he largely makes back
in force of personality.
King is
basically an honorable thief, one who’s been known to Robin-Hood fancy coats
from the rich and drape them over the homeless while they sleep. It’s an obvious but effective likability
tactic, and it’s easy enough to buy that he’d go out of his way to help an
adorable little ghost moppet. I also
enjoy his rather shy, roundabout way of being charming, deploying a
remote-controlled car with a two-way radio so he can low-key woo a pretty woman
with a made-up “horoscope” about falling in love with a handsome stranger.
Recommend?
In
General
– A hesitant maybe. It’s not great, but
it really isn’t too bad. Flimsy but fun.
Tony
Leung Chiu-wai
– Eh, I might. King is an amusing
character, and while it’s hardly a demanding role, Leung plays it well enough.
Warnings
Some
violence, swearing, drinking, and strong thematic elements involving a child’s
death
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