A victim of COVID 19, this Chinese New Year film missed its scheduled February date but it finally hit the cinemas in early September 2022. Premiered at the Udine Far East Film Festival in April garnering the Best Screenplay Award, it made its way to the 21st New York Asian Film Festival in July. However it did exceptionally well after its local release and took in over 77 millions and eventually became the 3rd highest-grossing domestic film in Hong Kong.
A follow-up to his “Men on the Dragon” (2018) starring Francis Ng, Chan's light-hearted comedy follows the life of Steve Chan (Dayo Wong Chi Wah) and his two brothers. They live in a large apartment which used to be a charsiu (BBQ pork) factory owned by their late parents. Since he is the eldest brother, he regards himself as the head of the family. After breaking up with his girlfriend Monica (Stephy Tang), he seems happy just working at home as a freelance photographer but deep down he is still in love with her. Bernard (Louis Cheung), the second brother who seems to be the most well-adjusted, holds a steady job but he has a little secret, he is in fact dating Steve's ex-girlfriend.
In contrast, Lung (Peter Chan Charm Man), their youngest brother is a layabout who jumps from job to job and plays video games in the hope of winning the big game competition one day. Frustrated with him because their relationship seems to go no where, Josephine (Ivana Wong), his girlfriend of twelve years being a great chef herself, still cooks up a storm for him every night and share dinners with the brothers regardless.
It is during one of these dinners and to Steve's delight, that Monica turns up as a dinner guest. Needless to say Steve is over the moon for thinking that she has come back to him but in fact she is there to see Bernard. Surprised by how calm Steve handles the situation as he hints that he has already moved on and is now seeing someone else named Ah Meow (Lin Min Chen), his model and internet icon. Before long, the three girls move into the Chan household but can Steve really handle the situation since he is still in love with Monica?
Naturally, the main focus is on the love triangle between Steve, Monica and Bernard but it is Dayo Wong who mainly carries the show in his down to earth performance. Better still, both Cheung and Chan are equally solid while keeping up with him. The rest of the lady co-stars put on a fantastic show as well, while Tang's portray of a marketing executive is effective. Malaysian actress Lin is perfect as the zany fan girl character who turns out to be quite intelligent and witty. But Ivana Wong almost steals the show as the master chef Josephine, a touching and caring character.
The whole production looks very much like a hyper active stage play because of its single room setting and its emphasis on heavy dialogues especially the Cantonese wordplay. Anyone fluent in that language will definitely get more out of it as the English subtitles just can't keep up at times. Furthermore, the film looks fresh and colorful thanks to the use of movie posters and memorabilia as background props.
Basically a comedy drama about sibling rivalry and mid-life crisis, Chan's screenplay also touches on Hong Kong's changing culture. The men seem to be stuck in a life style in which they won't move on while the women are portrayed as much stronger and able characters who advance forward. But deep down it has a much mature theme with realistic characters which further makes the film more unpredictable and interesting instead of just depending mostly on slapstick for laughts.
With “Table for Six”, it shows that Hong Kong can still produce mature, emotional comedies with good dialogue. Moreover, it has a theme that most viewers can relate to, while the lively cast and the refreshing sets also help to make it an entertaining watch.
