“TOM, DICK AND HAIRY” (1993) | Film Review
Reference to Jackie Chan:
Jackie Chan’s favourite or lucky number is 32. At the beginning, Tony Leung’s girlfriend always experiences an orgasm on the 32nd thrust of her lover. Absolute coincidence.
But DICK is also a tourist guide for Japanese fans and promises twice in the film (9:40 and 11:50) that his group will see “Jacky Chan” (according to the subtitles).
At 18:50 there is a scene with two bridal couples in the park that is slightly reminiscent of “THE TWIN DRAGONS” (1992).
Cantonese humour from better times
“All men are basically the same”, says this lesser-known Hong Kong tragicomedy from 1993, they only want one thing: true love. Sounds cheesy, but when three penises are chatting at the dining table at night, you know it’s the finest Cantonese comedy cuisine.
Bank clerk TOM CHAN suffers from the expenses of his expensive girlfriend and has to make a distinction between his heart and his wallet for cost reasons. Meanwhile, his flatmate HAIRY, also known as Giorgio Mao because as a metrosexual he attaches great importance to fashion, tries his hand at the game to find love, but has less luck. And then there’s DICK CHING, the philanderer who sleeps with gals every night.
“TOM, DICK AND HAIRY” (1993) was made at a time when the Hong Kong triads still had their fingers in the pie when it came to making money at the box office. It is not known whether this was also the case here. However, the cast includes a whole host of familiar faces alongside the main actors: Michael Wong, Michael Chow, Vivian Chow as herself and again not.
The relationship between ANN BRIDGEWATER and TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI works wonderfully and is aesthetically emphasised by first-class camerawork. In many shots you realise that you are looking at a gem of 90s Hong Kong cinema. With that distinctive Cantonese humour, for example when Tony Leung’s girlfriend always comes on the 32nd thrust during sex at the beginning. Wonderfully politically incorrect.
Social issues such as homosexuality are also addressed here, or rather only touched upon, because even after the law was changed in Hong Kong in 1991, it was still frowned upon and dangerous to come out as gay or lesbian. Here, however, our dear HAIRY discovers that he has an attraction to gays and thus realises that he is stick hetero.
However, these themes only play a peripheral role. Instead, the film is a diary of three bachelors in turbulent Hong Kong in the 1990s. They are all trying to make their way and find love. All except Dick. But he too will eventually meet his fate and we not only experience the coming of age as the film year 1992 progresses, but also the constellation in which the lovers and sometimes relatives (re)find each other.
Nostalgic 6.5 out of 10 stars
Original trailer | “TOM, DICK AND HAIRY” (1993)
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