Pang
Ho-Cheung is arguably the most interesting director working in Hong Kong
today. He has an effortless ability to
switch genres having worked in dramas, comedies and even horror. The main characteristics of his films are his
unique eye towards Hong Kong and how it is today, and the social commentary he
packs into them. His latest film is “Vulgaria”
which as the title suggests is a vulgar and very funny comedy.
The film
is about a producer, To, of low budget “B” grade films who is struggling to
find financing for a new film. When he
acquires a meeting with a local gangster, Brother Tyrannosaurus, who wants to
get into the film business, he thinks that he has finally found his money. However as always, the people supplying the
cash want some input into the film being made and Brother Tyrannosaurus
proposes a remake of a soft core porn film that he used to love some twenty
years ago back when he was a kid.
Furthermore he wants the star of the original film to reprise her role
in the remake, and he does not care that she is now of an older age. He promises to supply enough money to make
the film a big budget affair and To jumps at the chance to work in the big
leagues again. To must then work out how
to convince an aged and long since retired porn star to return, while finding a
suitable body double to ensure the sex scenes will still be sexy for the public
seeing the film. As well as all of the
regular demands on a film set, To must also consistently deal with his financer
who now demands that his “girlfriend” has a role in the film.
The film
is told via a series of flashbacks as To is a guest of a film class and is
being interviewed by its professor. The
class asks To to define exactly what a producer does and what sacrifices he
must make to get a film made, and these flashbacks answer the questions being
asked. While I found the film very
entertaining, and funny enough, the comedy was much broader than I would
usually expect from Pang Ho-Cheung. The
satire that makes his films stand out in a crowd just isn’t as biting as it
normally is. He seems like with “Vulgaria”
he is happy enough just to entertain without making serious social commentary
at the same time. There is nothing wrong
with that, it was just that I was expecting something more substantial. Do not get me wrong, he does make points
about the current filmmaking industry in Hong Kong and the difficulties in
getting funding (outside of the use of gangsters), as well as the demands of
the financers once they give money to a project. He also makes note of how modern technology
is important in marketing films in today’s world. He also gets to make fun of or question just
how much a producer does on a film.
For a
Hong Kong film it certainly lives up to its title, it is very vulgar, as crass
sexual comedies are not the norm in the country. One of the funniest gags in the film is the
dinner scene with Tyrannosaurus and the kind of exotic dishes that are served
to To. He then proceeds to get heavily
drunk which ends in a very hazy memory where To cannot remember whether or not
he had sex with a mule. This is the kind
of humour present in the entire film, it is all mainly sex based so if you are
offended by this type of comedy it may be best to stay clear of “Vulgaria”.
As well
as the comedy, Pang Ho-Cheung was wise to include a dramatic subplot with To
fighting to see more of his daughter then the one day per fortnight he is
currently allowed. It adds a little to
the film but sadly this subplot is woefully underdeveloped.
Overall,
while it is a funny film, I guess I was disappointed by “Vulgaria”. This is mainly due to the broad nature of the
comedy (I like my comedy to have a little edge to it). That said, I think it will appeal to a large
audience. I will say that I think that
Pang Ho-Cheung is the master of scenes that play over the final credits, and “Vulgaria”
has one of these moments that is just hilarious, so do not leave your seats
early.
3 Stars.
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