Movie Review: Shaolin Soccer/少林足球

By 2001, Stephen Chow wanted to become famous outside of Asia, and so he consciously changed his comic style.

His earlier films relied heavily on verbal wordplay called mo lei tau, and the jokes are only funny in Cantonese, and if you’re from Hong Kong.

I don’t understand anywhere near enough Cantonese to get the jokes.

I could get the parodies and homages to other movies, but I know there’s a lot that I’m missing.

Comedies are actually the hardest kinds of films to sell to a foreign audience.

In an effort to broaden his appeal, Stephen Chow decided to use more physical humor, since it’s easily understood by pretty much everyone.

Shaolin Soccer/少林足球 has verbal humor in it, but the larger part of the comedy is visual and/or physical.

It’s the story of a half dozen former Shaolin monks who end up living in the regular world and not doing very well.

Their leader, played by Stephen Chow, is searching for a way to bring the teachings of Shaolin to the world.

He has to convince his fellow monks to join him on this quest.

Helping him is a disgraced soccer player, played by Ng Man Tat, who often appeared in Stephen Chow movies.

Well, not after this one.

There is also a romantic subplot involving a girl who makes steamed buns using Tai Chi, played by mainland actress Vicki Zhao.

I’m not going to tell you much about the plot, because either you’ve seen it, or you need to see it and I don’t want to spoil it.

It’s hard sometimes to look back at a movie from almost 15 years ago and not see the shortcomings of the visual FX, but these hold up really well.

The film itself has a kind of grainy appearance, so when the CGI does the same thing it’s not as jarring.

The acting is a lot of un to watch. Everyone gets a moment, or a scene, in which to shine, and it’s very entertaining.

Patrick Tse has a small role as the antagonist, and there are cameos from people like Karen Mok and Cecilia Cheung, who had starred in King of Comedy, Stephen Chow’s previous film.

The directing and editing are also very well done, and the balancing act between comedy and drama, between the serious and the silly, makes Shaolin Soccer/少林足球 better than it would otherwise be.

Shaolin Soccer/少林足球 was the first Hong Kong movie I ever saw in Hong Kong.

I first came here to visit in July of 2001. I spent my time buying DVDs and taking pictures.

And sweating like a hooker in church.

I saw it in the Broadway Cinema in Mongkok, and I always felt lucky that I got to see it in its natural environment, so to speak.

Shaolin Soccer/少林足球 is a classic, and no matter how many times I watch it, I’m always glad I did.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet a couple of the people who were in Shaolin Soccer/少林足球.

I met Danny Chan last new year’s eve. He was really… in the festive spirit, and right after we took this picture he punched me in the stomach.

Hard.

I got to interview Patrick Tse once, and I can promise you that he is exactly the same in real life as he appears onscreen.

He’s also a very funny, very nice man, and I am very grateful that I got to meet him and speak to him.