With "Love in a puff" charming its way into the hearts of the local audience a couple of year ago, PANG Ho-cheung follows up, against general odds, with an act that is arguably better. While the scene is essentially moved to Beijing, the link to the original is made not only through the tow protagonist and a few of the supports, but also with some of the winning details such as the ridiculously funny cell phone ring and the trick of an up-side-down SMS message, both being key plot elements "Puff".
The continuing plot is simplicity itself. Picking up from "Puff", "Buff" shows how Jimmy and Cherie drift apart after living together for a year, not knowing, however, that they still care for each other more than they like to believe. By chance (or fate, if you wish), they both end up with working in Beijing where that each pick up an object of affection. This looks like symmetry but really isn't. Jimmy and young airline stewardess Youyou do develop mutual romantic affection. On the other hand, kindly estranged middle-aged Sam is looking more for steady companionship while Cherie, grateful and appreciative, is frustrated that she cannot truly reciprocate.
The development of these relationships, with their re-encounter, is well-handled, with some good poignant moments. Still, this is a romance comedy and here, director Pang shows why he is one cut above most others, in not succumbing to overloading the movie with comedy. The funny moments and lines are well positioned, and are all bull's-eye hits.
Shawn Yue can still charm almost effortlessly while Miriam Yeung shows a new, appealing maturity. The two Mainland counterparts Mini Yang and Xu Zheng provide solid support. Local audience will be delighted, even thrilled, but the cameos of familiar faces too many to mention. What must be mentioned however is Linda Wong, pop singer in the early 90s who was the dream maiden of every young man. Looking not much different from 20 years ago, absolutely gorgeous, she appears as herself, a customer in Cherie's cosmetic shop, telling her casually about how a woman must choose her destiny, an obvious and customary plot element – unintentional words having an important effect on a protagonist. But there is another reason for Miss Wong's appearance, I think, an as implicit endorsement of what has been done to her immensely popular karaoke video in the early 90s, a spoof by Shawn Yue that is so hilarious that it is was almost worth the admission price by itself. Obviously everyone in town have heard or read about it in advance. In the show I attended, every single soul in the audience remained quietly in the seat when the ending credit started to roll. It wasn't until the very end when this spoof was over that people started to stand up, that is, those who were not rolling on the floor laughing.
The continuing plot is simplicity itself. Picking up from "Puff", "Buff" shows how Jimmy and Cherie drift apart after living together for a year, not knowing, however, that they still care for each other more than they like to believe. By chance (or fate, if you wish), they both end up with working in Beijing where that each pick up an object of affection. This looks like symmetry but really isn't. Jimmy and young airline stewardess Youyou do develop mutual romantic affection. On the other hand, kindly estranged middle-aged Sam is looking more for steady companionship while Cherie, grateful and appreciative, is frustrated that she cannot truly reciprocate.
The development of these relationships, with their re-encounter, is well-handled, with some good poignant moments. Still, this is a romance comedy and here, director Pang shows why he is one cut above most others, in not succumbing to overloading the movie with comedy. The funny moments and lines are well positioned, and are all bull's-eye hits.
Shawn Yue can still charm almost effortlessly while Miriam Yeung shows a new, appealing maturity. The two Mainland counterparts Mini Yang and Xu Zheng provide solid support. Local audience will be delighted, even thrilled, but the cameos of familiar faces too many to mention. What must be mentioned however is Linda Wong, pop singer in the early 90s who was the dream maiden of every young man. Looking not much different from 20 years ago, absolutely gorgeous, she appears as herself, a customer in Cherie's cosmetic shop, telling her casually about how a woman must choose her destiny, an obvious and customary plot element – unintentional words having an important effect on a protagonist. But there is another reason for Miss Wong's appearance, I think, an as implicit endorsement of what has been done to her immensely popular karaoke video in the early 90s, a spoof by Shawn Yue that is so hilarious that it is was almost worth the admission price by itself. Obviously everyone in town have heard or read about it in advance. In the show I attended, every single soul in the audience remained quietly in the seat when the ending credit started to roll. It wasn't until the very end when this spoof was over that people started to stand up, that is, those who were not rolling on the floor laughing.