Search - Fractured Follies on DVD

A Wonderful Lighthearted Romantic Comedy

Keith Vaglienti | Houston, TX USA | 01/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of both Chow Yun-Fat and Joey Wang so buying this DVD was a no brainer for me. For those who are looking for a Hong Kong action movie, look elsewhere. You won't see much in the way of martial arts action in this film. But if you're open to other types of movies, keep reading.To give you a quick plot synopsis: Joey Wang plays May, a woman who was born with one leg longer than the other. Chow Yun-Fat is Joe, a taxi driver who accidentally hits May and thinks he's crippled her for life. Joe comes to work for May's family partly because he blames himself for her condition and partly because his insurance ran out 2 days before the accident and he has to pay them back somehow. Once the two are together romance blossoms but there are complications along the way, ranging from a talking Buddha that dispenses romantic advice to May's overly amorous cousin, Scarlet, a wealthy widow who has already worn out 3 husbands with her affections and has her sights set on making Joe number 4.This movie will probably never win any awards but as a light hearted romantic comedy, it's about as good as they get. The cast is good and the story engaging. It's good to see Chow Yun-Fat playing something other than the ultra-cool characters that Americans are so familiar with him as, if only to be reminded what a versatile actor he is. He's absolutely wonderful as the slightly nerdy Joe. At one point he dresses up in drag to catch the secret admirer who's been stalking Scarlet. At another point he gets decked out in a pineapple costume to do a song and dance number in front of the store in order to attract customers. If you enjoyed his comic bits in "God of Gamblers", you'll love him in "Fractured Follies". Joey Wang is her usual radiantly beautiful self and even a pair of nerdy glasses with thick black plastic rims can't disguise her wonderfully expressive face. And Nina Li Chi proves once again that she's a fine comic actress in her role as Scarlet.This is a fun movie which I highly recommend. If your SO doesn't mind reading subtitles this would probably make a good date movie as it has enough romance to make the women happy and enough slapstick/bufoonery to keep the men involved."