Director: Hing-Ka Chan & Patrick LeungStars: Ching Wan Lau, Louis Koo, Carina Lau, Gigi Leung
Year: 2001
Rating: NR
(in Cantonese w/English subtitles)
Never, ever have I known so much about bras in my life - nor gained more respect for the women who wear them - than I have from watching this very funny Hong Kong romantic comedy, about an all-female bra company who decides to catch up with the times by hiring two male designers (Ching Wan Lau & Louis Koo) to construct the "ultimate bra".
Samantha (Carina Lau) is the head of the company, who decides that maybe a male perspective can shed some new and exciting light on the industry - even as her subordinate manager Lena (Gigi Leung) even goes so far as to threaten resignation if she's forced to hire men. Samantha stands her ground, however, and Lena grudgingly keeps her job ... and, after some very funny (and a couple rather disturbing) male designers pass through interview after interview with her team, she finally hires a former men's underwear designer named Johnny (Ching Wan Lau), and all-out ladies' man Wayne (Louis Koo). Johnny and Wayne's come to work the first day strutting like roosters in a hen-house; both guys - even though Johnny has a live-in girlfriend at home, who's more in love with him than he is with her - totally expect each of the ladies they meet to fall at their feet, and there are some funny moments at what their imaginations envision happening ... compared to what really happens when they arrive. Both men learn, very quickly, that they don't know squat - not only about bras, but about the construction of a woman's breasts, or how to support ones of various shape and size - and after some big-time floundering, Lena and her staff strap the guys into a couple of over-the-shoulder boulder-holders of their own (complete with weighted fake breasts) to give the guys the workout of their life.
Meanwhile, the womanizers find themselves falling for their bosses - Johnny for Samantha, and Wayne for Lena - and the road to convincing these ladies they are after more than just sex is almost as hard as their torturous journey to becoming the best bra designers in the company.
There are plenty of genuinely funny moments in this sincere, very likable romantic comedy. The four leads are great in their prospective roles, and the guys - Louis Koo as studly leading man and Ching Wan Lau as comedy relief - in particular are very authentic in their performances. The story is original, and even if you can sort of see where things are heading it's still an enjoyable (and very funny) journey getting there. I could have done without the extra-small, rapid-fire subtitles throughout the film, but it didn't mar my enjoyment of this frothy, funny film with one of the more unique settings I've seen in a movie in a long time; one worth going out of your way to see. *** - Reel Cool
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