The Fortune Handbook (Chinese: 财神爷; pinyin: cái shén yé) is a 2017 Chinese New Year Singaporean comedy film directed by Kelvin Sng and starring Christopher Lee, Li Nanxing and Mark Lee. It was released in cinemas on January 26, 2017,[1][2] and is one of two films distributed by mm2 Entertainment during the Chinese New Year period in 2017, the other being Take 2.
| The Fortune Handbook | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kelvin Sng |
| Written by | Wen Xue Ying |
| Produced by | Melvin Ang Jack Neo Christopher Lee Mark Lee Li Nanxing |
| Starring | Christopher Lee Li Nanxing Mark Lee Vivian Lai Xavier Ong Jazliyana Lee |
| Cinematography | Chiu Wai Yin |
| Edited by | Hamster Low , Kenzir leow |
| Music by | Mo Ju Li |
Production companies | mm2 Entertainment J Team Productions |
| Distributed by | mm2 Entertainment Shaw Organisation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | Singapore |
| Languages | Mandarin Teochew |
| Budget | S$1.3 million |
| Box office | S$1 million[citation needed] |
Synopsis
editSoh Hock (Christopher Lee), a never-do-well, is obsessed with becoming rich and constantly scheming to get the secret recipe to Hao Xing, his brother-in-law's (Li Nanxing) famous traditional Chinese pastry. When a God Of Fortune (Mark Lee) stumbles into his and his family's lives, things become messy.[1][3]
Cast
edit| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Christopher Lee | Soh Hock |
| Li Nanxing | Ren Haoxing |
| Mark Lee | Huat God |
| Vivian Lai | Ah Zhen, Soh Hock's wife |
| Xavier Ong | Soh Hock's son |
| Jazliyana Lee | Soh Hock's daughter |
| Marcus Chin | Intern supervisor |
| Nathan Hartono | Fortune God intern |
| Sheila Sim | Fortune God intern |
| Ferlyn Wong | Fortune God intern |
| Hossan Leong | Fortune God intern |
| Chua Jin Sen a.k.a. Dr. Jiajia | Fortune God intern |
| Dawn Yeoh | Reporter |
| Zheng Geping | Competition judge |
| Hong Huifang | Competition judge |
| Lina Ng | Contestant No.1 |
| Eelyn Kok | Contestant No.2 |
| Josephus Tan | Contestant No.2 's husband |
| Allan Moo | Contestant No.3 's husband |
| Ho Ai Ling | Ma Zi |
| Chantalle Ng | Albee |
| Jasmine Sim | Mel |
Production
editCasting and crew
editSng decided to gather the "Three Lees in Entertainment", Christopher Lee, Mark Lee and Li Nanxing, to star in a film together. According to an interview with Weekender Singapore, Sng said that "it started out as a joke, but all three of them actually agreed to do it". All three were listed as executive producers, together with Jack Neo and Melvin Ang. It was such a success that the actors started talking about their next project together.[4][5]
Filming
editLi, who has always played "solemn and heavy" roles, such as a cop, lawyer or baddie, took on his first comedic role because of his co-stars, saying in an interview with The Straits Times that he "signed on because of the other two." Initially, he felt awkward being cast as Vivian Lai's ex-boyfriend due to the age gap, so Sng altered the role to be her brother instead.[6]
Filming started on October 31, 2016 with a production cost of $1.3 million, and lasted for 20 days.
Reception
editCritical reception
editBoon Chan of The Straits Times rated The Fortune Handbook a 2 out of 5 stars, stating that although important holiday themes such as "prosperity, the importance of family and bak kwa" are present, "the end result is far from savoury" as "(Sng's) characters laugh more than the audience - hearing laughter on the screen is not the same thing as watching a funny film".[7]
John Li of MovieXclusive.com rated the film a 2.5 out of 5 stars, citing the "countless mentions of brands or appearances of products" and that "viewers may not find all gags funny and end up wondering why the characters are laughing a lot more than the audiences".[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Seah, May (2 November 2016). "Three Lees in a pod". Today. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ^ Lee, Wei Lin (1 November 2016). "Christopher Lee, Mark Lee, Li Nanxing team up for comedy film". Toggle. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ^ "THE FORTUNE HANDBOOK (财神爷) COMMENCES FILMING". moviexclusive.com. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ^ Chow, Pamela (13 January 2017). "Why The Fortune Handbook Is The CNY Movie To Catch". The Weekender. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Lee, Wei Lin. "Christopher Lee, Mark Lee, Li Nanxing team up for comedy film". Toggle. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ Ng, Gwendolyn (25 January 2017). "The three big Lees of local TV collaborate for the first time in The Fortune Handbook". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- ^ Chan, Boon (25 January 2017). "Festive fare for young and old". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ Li, John. "THE FORTUNE HANDBOOK (财神爷) (2017)". MovieXclusive.com. Retrieved 7 February 2017.