My Sassy Hubby – Review

Ten years ago, movie goers enjoyed the onscreen chemistry between Charlene Choi and Ekin Cheung in My Wife is 18, where Charlene played Ekin’s wife, who was 12 years his junior. This holiday season, fans can once again re-live the romantic comedy between the duo as My Sassy Husband. Now, Sam is experiencing midlife crisis while Yo Yo begins to think that her husband is dull, not aggressive enough, and lacks planning. Similarly, Yo Yo’s wilfullness and shopping habit is deemed as immature by Sam. In a twist of events, the couple finds that the priest who certified their marriage is not recognized officially, rendering their marriage invalid.

Ten years after their lightning nuptials, the thirty-nine year-old Thirteen Cheung is a university professor who lectures pretentiously on the subject of love. Working as a University lecture in Psychology, Sam meets a new student from Beijing, Tong Yi (Zhang Xinyi), and subsequently falls for her sweet and intelligent personality. On the other side, Yoyo’s life became more boring and aimless, that is, until she runs into her old schoolmate, Lam Shu Ho (Izz Tsui), who has admired her since childhood. But Yo Yo and Sam should find that they long for the past..,but the characters are familiar and amusing enough to make their adventures engaging. Thirteen is a logical and identifiable character; his midlife crisis makes complete sense.

Because My Sassy Hubby is the only romantic comedy to be released this holiday season, movie goers were eager to break away from the usual dark films and enjoy a lighthearted comedy. The hilarious sequence shows how Thirteen is put in misery due to Yoyo’s tricks such as: pouring cold water on him, pretending to be a ghost, turning off the electricity, gifting him a rat as a gag gift and throwing cake in his face. Additionally, one of the hooks of the film is the revelation of Thirteen’s “secret diary” at the end of the film. Joyce Cheng, who appears as Yo Yo’s cousin, takes on a rather exaggerated performance most of the time. She tries her best to fit in to the cast, but unfortunately, sticks out like a sore thumb. Any annoyance at Yo Yo’s immaturity disappears the moment both appear on-screen together, as the sentiment is transferred to Cheng instead.

I wish more films would revisit past characters (like Apatow did with This is 40!). Though he’s not a great actor, Ekin Cheng is an undeniable Hong Kong film star and catching up with him ten years later is enjoyable. It is not only a lighthearted comedy that delves into the culture and behavior of Asians. This movie shows that there are so many different ways of expressing your love without saying ‘I love you’. It is a movie that proves ‘fate is building a bridge of chance for the one you love’. Recommended!