Known for his usual cool, Chow Yun-Fat gives an uncharacteristic performance in this 80s fish-out-of-water romcom set in New York's Chinatown. But rather than struggling for air, he is shark-like in what is a standout comedic performance as a troubled good-guy-gone-rogue opposite Cherie Chung in a film that oozes 80s bravado.
An Autumn's Tale is screening at Five Flavours
Jennifer (Chung) moves from Hong Kong to New York to study and be closer to her upwardly mobile boyfriend Vincent (Danny Bak-Keung Chan). She is to initially stay with a distant relative, Samuel (Chow), supposedly something of a ‘figurehead' in the US. But this supposedly idyllic trip to the Big Apple is very quickly brought down to earth. While Samuel might have been ambitious in Hong Kong, in New York he is another waiter with drink and gambling problems. He struggles to keep hold of money and lives in a ramshackle apartment building, where Jennifer now finds herself stuck. What's more, Vincent has found himself another ladyfriend, and so she finds herself a student living in gritty conditions with little money.
Gradually, Samuel's natural charm draws Jennifer in, and she begins to find her feet, but is then posed with tough questions: is enjoying Samuel's company enough?; and is financial security and ambition more important in a potential partner?
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The opening thirty minutes is a whirlwind of high-octane behaviour, as Jennifer is thrown head-first into New York life under the wing of Samuel, with Chow gleefully shouting, pranking and starting fights with anyone in his path. He is a 100-miles-per-hour persona of pure chaos, far from what you'd expect of Chow, and he is brilliant with it. To start, he is non-stop comedy, and you'd be happy change places with Jennifer on the ride.
While not as dominant as Chow here, Chung has a good chemistry with him; the pair having starred in a number of films together in the 80s. This makes their odd couple relationship believable, as well as entertaining. The two leads, however, are in stark contrast to the other characters. The rest of the cast seems to have been given little direction, often wooden and lacking any real delivery. The American cast in particular feel like awkward extras, given little to work with in comparison to Chow's brief for Samuel.
This is fairly “Lady and the Tramp” style romance, as both quickly realize they are not suited to each other, despite the good times they share. From a fast start, the film slows down as it progresses, switching from the comedic to the more serious. The differing worlds of the Chinese restaurants at which they both wait tables is a clear example, with Samuel intelligent enough to know how he needs to act, but uncomfortable in doing so.
Chow, therefore, displays a wide range of comedian, rogue, charmer and prodigal son at a time when his career was really starting to take off. And it is he who makes the film. You will find yourself laughing meeting him, having a warm smile as he charms you, disappointed by his lapses, though sad at his acceptance of a chance missed.
Like the films of its locale in the 80s, this is far from subtle, though likeable in its, at times, unbelievable ways. But this is the perfect romcom, in that the rom is never realised and the com is actually good. And this is peak Chow, though not necessarily as you'd expect.
