King of Comedy

A comedy set in Hong Kong. Wan Tin-sau works as an extra. Nobody on set knows his name, his parts are one line long and he usually plays a corpse. He still considers himself a serious actor; he carries a book on acting everywhere and gives free acting classes at the neighbourhood community centre. Among those who come to the class is Piu-Piu, who works at a nightclub. She wants to learn how to talk to customers so she can do better at her job. Meanwhile an action star notices Wan on set and gives him a chance. The comedy is built on humiliation: the man is thrown out, shouted at and comes back again. But the narrative does not mock him; it is about a man nobody takes seriously taking his own work seriously. In one section the police ask Wan to act a part in a real operation, and the film turns to action there. Stephen Chow directed and stars. It is the first film of Cecilia Cheung, who plays Piu-Piu. Karen Mok is in the cast. Lee Lik-chi co-directed. A solid choice for anyone who likes Hong Kong comedy and films about cinema. Before you watch, know this: the humour sits on the crude side and some wordplay is lost in subtitles.