The title “Carry on Hotel” to an Englishman like myself brings back memories of the classic film series of the same name. These “Carry On” films were full of toilet humour and sexual innuendos and were considered icons of the British Film Industry. Hong Kong cinema equally has a frequent confrontation with the idea of taste; again toilet humour and obsession with sex are frequent features. Having experienced both of these styles over the years it would be inevitable that my interest would be piqued. So with curiosity (and a certain amount of trepidation) I decided to sit down and watch this and see if it lived up (or down) to my expectations.
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Two adulterers attempt to make out only to find that their room is full of security cameras. As a pop group finds their television connected to the security feed they watch with interest as the adulterers attempt to pretend that they are in a soap opera. Donald Ng (Richard Ng) is a thief mistaken for a hotel inspector and the hotel staff play along with his efforts to practice his ninja skills, only for the genuine article to turn up in Tomohara (Yasuaki Kurata). A tour guide (Eric Tsang) finds himself with significant women trouble as first his room is broken into by Chung (Cherie Chung) and then the equally disturbed Angela (Pat Ha). His attempts to escape are thwarted by the incompetent hotel staff. The final segment sees hopeless romantic Buddy (Jacky Cheung) chase after his dream woman Sunflower (Joey Wang), whilst failing to notice Boy George (Cecilia Yip) is completely in love with him.
This is in effect a portmanteau piece with several short segments as opposed to interconnected narratives, with the only link being the increasingly incompetent staff. The tone varies, with the first couple being the most broad, the Eric Tsang segment taking on a darker more black comic feel, before finally concluding with romantic comedy to round things off. As ever, the core themes of Cantonese comedy come to the fore, sex and money with most characters seeking one or the other. Whilst there is nothing particularly new to see here, the set ups are actually funny which should come as no surprise given that orchestrating the chaos is one of the finer comedy directors in Jeff Lau. Given the diversity of comedy styles and potential for veering into the mugging and smut that could easily occur, it's to his credit that this never happens. He would go onto work closely with Stephen Chow, but here in his earlier days, he demonstrates an understanding of how to capture the humour and keep the performers (for the most part) in check.
The opening sections are a set up for what is to follow, establishing the hidden cameras and allowing for Kent Cheng and Billy Lau to cameo. The punchline is a typical one for the rather sex obsessed local audience it would seem, but the pay off is worth it. Charlie Chin gets to send up the over dramatic soap operas whilst still finding a way to make out with his beau despite the aforementioned cameras. He's a performer whose comic style has too much mugging for the camera. The fact that, in this instance, it is intended, makes it a lot more bearable. I did love the gag of more and more people watching them from the other hotel room as the segment carries on.
Richard Ng essentially gets to revisit his Lucky Stars shtick as a useless practitioner of mysticism. The difference this time is that rather than failing miserably, once the mistaken identity occurs everyone plays along. There is something just enjoyably absurd about seeing Richard Ng, dressed as a ninja, pretending to be a stapler. He thinks everyone else has gone crazy and so just runs with it. This segment is probably the most consistently funny of all, with a great supporting turn from Yasuaki Kurata's actual inspector Tomohara. Often the tough guy, he gets to join in the silliness and the introduction of his character resulted in the moment that made me genuinely laugh out loud!
Eric Tsang ordinarily would consider himself fortunate to being chased around a hotel room by Cherie Chung and Pat Ha. Unfortunately for him, their intentions are a tad more dangerous for his well being. This segment starts fairly slow but gradually gets funnier as he tries to find a way out of his circumstances, the highlight being every time he thinks a member of staff is able to help him only for them to completely misunderstand. The blackly comic tone is mixed with bedroom farce as first he tries to escape, then once captured finds himself trying to avoid a more painful fate. Eric Tsang is his usually persona here and Cherie Chung is clearly enjoying playing a deranged seductress. Pat Ha joins in the fun also once she enters the story. The coda probably sums up the Hong Kong attitude best but no spoilers here.
The final segment is perhaps the weakest. The problem with the format is that some stories need time to breathe and this could potentially have been one better served at feature length. It's a sweet enough tale with Cecilia Yip's tomboyish Boy George making the most of her scenes to generate sympathy. Joey Wang as ever is stunning but is essentially just portraying a dream girl and never gets to do anything with the part than look attractive. Jacky Cheung would become a much better performer as his career developed. He's acceptable here but is equally hampered with the slightness of the story.
This is a very entertaining comedy. The sections for the most part don't outstay their welcome and often have at least one laugh out loud moment. Whilst the final section is a bit of a let down, the other 75% of the film exceeds expectations. A talented cast and very capable direction results in one of the more pleasant rediscoveries in my journey through Hong Kong cinema's past.
