Fat Choi Spirit

When you get into Hong Kong cinema, you'll soon find there's no way around mahjong. This Eastern gambling game is so omnipresent that it is virtually a niche of its own. The beauty of the game is that you don't have to understand any of the rules, it's just fascinating to watch regardless. Point in case, To's Fat Choi Spirit.

Andy is addicted to mahjong, so much in fact that he broke off relations with his family. His luck changes when he meets Gigi, a young girl who seems to be increasing his chances of winning his games. The only problem is that Gigi is a very sore loser herself, whenever she doesn't win she throws a veritable temper tantrum.

The film features an all-star cast and puts quite a bit of focus on the mahjong games, but it's essentially just a very basic romcom. The cast is fine, there are some funny scenes and the pacing is solid, there just isn't enough here to make it a true To classic. Hardcore fans of his work (and his collaborations with Ka-Fai Wai) won't mind, I just wanted a little more.