Gau Sing Bou Hei
1998 / 86m - Hong Kong
Comedy, Musical, Romance
2.0*/5.0*
Ninth Happiness poster

Plot: Ko focuses on a little town where everyone is living carefree lives. Whatever drama there is, is faced with a shrug and a smile. That changes when a new magistrate joins the town. He is appalled there is nobody to corrupt, so he starts a little plan to mess up the happy lives of the villagers and have them eating out of his hand.

Watches

July 20, 2022

2.0*/5.0*

Clifton Ko with a rather nondescript comedy. Ko is one of those directors who mostly speak to local audiences, it's no surprise then that many of his films are a little tougher to track down. Ninth Happiness is a mix of popular themes and comical styles that generally do well in Hong Kong, what it isn't is a very coherent or funny film.

The musical numbers are horrible, the comedy is pretty tame, overacting is the norm and the plot is a jumbled mess. All those things are also part of the charm I guess, still, the film isn't as fast-paced, daft, or silly as many of its peers. Fans of Hong Kong comedy or Clifton Ko should give it a go, I don't think it's a big priority for others.