Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 07/30/2023 MISMATCHED COUPLES is a very silly film, but it's genuinely quite charming, and its enthusiastic embrace of all things 80's is kind of infectious. Even if Donnie Yen's youthful appearance wasn't enough of a clue when the film was made, I don't think it would take anyone long to work it out. There's nothing else quite like it, which is reason enough to be worth tracking down. Don't expect a fight-fest though, there's only really one fight, and even that is more like "Oh shit Dick Wei's going to smash me to pieces I'd better run". Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: dandan Date: 04/02/2009 Summary: dancing and diarrhea... eddie (donnie yen) lives with his big sis (wong wan-si) and stella (may lo), who is secretly in love with eddie. eddie is, seemingly, oblivious to stella and has his sights set on the glamorous anna (kamiyama anna), and is trying to impress her with his break dancing, when he meets mini (yuen woo-ping). mini is a down on his luck cantonese opera performer, who eddie takes under his wing and tries to set him up with sis, hoping that he will also be able to learn from him. meanwhile, kenny (kenny perez) has his eyes on anna as well, whilst a nutty fighting champion (dick wei) is on the look out for eddie, but for different reasons... i think i added this of my list of films to buy, primarily because it had woo-ping in a starring role, as well as in the director's chair. to be quite frank, i loved it. sure, it is a very, very silly film, at times - well, mainly when donnie, kenny and their break dancing punk friend (mandy chan) are n screen - but the relationship between woo-ping and wong wan-si is handled really well. woo-ping is really good in front of the camera and everyone seems to be having fun, with a movie that is already pretty good fun, that it rubs off on the viewer. be it the breaking, the comedy, the romance or the final fight sequence, everything pretty much hits the spot and the role of eddie is perfect for a big cheese-ball like donnie yen. i think i was smiling or laughing from start to end. oh, and i liked chyna's canto-electro-disco-pop soundtrack as well... a whole lot of fun...

Reviewed by: Beat TG Date: 10/11/2008 Summary: Charming Romantic Comedy with a Peak Funny Donnie Yen Donnie Yen's movie career was successfully unleashed after the moderate success of DRUNKEN TAI CHI in 1984. So he and Yuen Woo Ping didn't waste any time and began working on the next project to showcase Donnie's MA talents and overall physical attributes. Unexpectedly, instead of continuing with another kung fu movie or getting into the contemporary action movie genre at the time, the project ended up being a contemporary romance comedy. I'm using the word "unexpected" because Donnie Yen today is mainly known for playing serious acting roles. Productions such as his TV shows for TVB (FILE NOIR, FLYING SQUADS, A NEW LIFE and THE CRIME FILE) and ATV (THE KUNG FU MASTER and FIST OF FURY), IN THE LINE OF DUTY 4, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 2, IRON MONKEY, SPL, the IP MAN quadrilogy etc. So to any average viewer, something like MISMATCHED COUPLES would be a totally different experience because seeing Donnie Yen act funny is not within anyone's expectations. Depending on your mind and sentiments towards Donnie appearing in different movie genres outside his comfort zone, the comedy can either draw you in or distract. As for me, I was completely drawn in and still am when rewatching the movie every now and then. The movie was made in the wake of the breakdancing movies' popularity, with groundbreaking gems such as WILD STYLES and BREAKIN'. To any hardcore Donnie Yen fan (like myself), Donnie and breakdancing (bboy-ing) is nothing surprising because of his real-life interest and knowledge in breakdancing which its apparent here. Alright, so the central theme of the story is still being the popular high school guy and getting the girl(s) you like. But breakdancing plays a big part as well using the aforementioned movies as main inspirations for the story arc. It's all about comic timing and overall onscreen flair but with Yuen Woo Ping helming the movie, the story assures it big-time using the flair of Donnie's and other actors' physical performances. The mix of everything is quite the viewing experience but one that leaves you engrossed and captivated. The bar gets further raised when Donnie gets supported by the cast, which consists of Yuen Woo Ping himself (in a rare co-leading role), Wong Wan Si, May Lo Mei Mei, Mandy Chan, Donnie's real-life friend and fellow taolu wushu practitioner Kenny Perez (who now runs a tai chi medical/fitness center in Arizona, USA), Dick Wei, and Anna Kamiyama. The story is simple but throws in several characters making the story all the more dramatic. Eddie (Donnie Yen) is a breakdancing fantatic who loves showing off his b-boying skillset at parties, dancing events, and in the streets while trying to get the popular girl Anna (Anna Kamiyama) at his high school. During a dance event at the pier held by his rival Colorful Punk (Mandy Chan), Eddie witnesses poor street vendor Mini (Yuen Woo Ping) -- wandering around looking for food after he was chased away and had his food cart confiscated by the cops -- while waiting for Anna. Anna arrives hooking up with Eddie and Punk leading up to a breakdance challenge between the two latter. But it all results to Punk being humiliated by Mini. Punk forces Mini to dance in exchange for food, and Mini shows his acrobatics skills without breaking sweat. This wins Eddie over, and Eddie and Mini end up being friends and letting Mini stay at his apartment, just above a restaurant owned by his sister Ying (Wong Wan Si). From there more complications arises when Eddie's jealous cousin Stella (May Lo), Punk's American friend Kenny (Kenny Perez) as well as Anna's best friend Lynn (Chan Wai Lin), and a former fighter-turned lunatic (Dick Wei) all enter the picture causing further heavy-handed situations for Eddie. A thin story yet so much going on... This is what makes MISMATCHED COUPLES successful and thereby so much fun to watch. It's a movie that can easily cheer you up after having a bad day. The movie bombed at the box-office for several reasons. One was heavy competition around the time it was out, and another was just the bad timing. However over the years since its' release, it has garnered cult status for being a good exception in Donnie Yen's whole filmography consisting mostly of comedy-free movies. And for being a Hong Kong comedy movie that is in its' own league. That's all thanks to Yuen Woo Ping and his unique style of comedy filmmaking, which greatly differs from the likes of Sammo Hung, Karl Maka, Michael Hui, and Richard Ng. Sometimes it works, sometimes it won't but it's near perfect here. Donnie Yen continues his venture in the comedy genre, and compared to DRUNKEN TAI CHI -- where he gave away hints of his funny abilities -- he's successfully displays his comic flair to the max here. I think this version of Donnie Yen is the peak comedic performance of his career ever, it's absolutely iconic. His interactions with Woo Ping, May Lo, Wong Wan Si, and Mandy Chan is ace acting and comedy timing providing a bit of everything for the story. Not only that but he peaks here with his overall physical attributes as an action performer doing almost everything when it comes to the breakdancing, martial arts (there's only one fight scene in the entire movie and that's Donnie Yen fighting Dick Wei inside a gym), and stunts. Sadly, this movie marks the end of Donnie doing his own stunts. He got badly injured while shooting the fight scene with Dick Wei at the end of the movie. In one shot Donnie is kicked in the face by Dick Wei while fighting in the arena, and in the next shot we can see Donnie fly from the arena onto a wall and falling to the ground with the shoulder being hit first. The shoulder got dislocated as a result, and is said to still affect Donnie till this very day. Both Donnie Yen and Dick Wei -- who was known for not holding back his punches and kicks while working with people in fight scenes -- apparently didn't get along while shooting their fight scene, just to add to the horrors of getting badly injured in fight scenes, and as a fun trivia. Yuen Woo Ping, as the movie's director and co-lead actor, is surprisingly effective as Mini who gets to show his funny side correlating to his comedy-style filmmaking, and overall good acting skills -- the benefits of being trained in peking opera. The chemistry between him and Wong Wan Si showcases not just amusement but also a sense of real emotions, which is rare for someone like Woo Ping. This makes me questions: Why didn't he act in more movies as a co-lead? He proves that he can actually act as well as he directs. Wong Wan Si, May Lo, Mandy Chan, and everyone else show their worth too, and play their parts without flaws -- aside the conventional genre elements being deployed in these kind of movies. So what do I think overall of the movie? It's a damn well crafted Hong Kong comedy, and provides so much entertainment apart from Donnie Yen and the other action performers utilizing their physicality. In conclusion, I regard MISMATCHED COUPLES -- it's only his second movie and Donnie had not yet crafted his acting persona by then -- as one of Donnie Yen's finest movies as an overall performer. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: Sydneyguy Date: 06/09/2008 Summary: HOw old does this movie look!! Im not too sure how to class this movie, part break dancing, part comedy,part romance and a fight scene at the end. Like mpongpun said, i dont know who the mismatched couple is!! MAybe everyone!! The movie looks old, the clothes, the break dancing, the haircuts!! Who now carries a boom box with them? Most of the comedy, is just plain silly and isnt funny. The romance is a typical "you dont know what you have til its lost" theme. The one saving grace for this movie is the end fight with Donnie and Dick Wei. This alone is worth a watch,its a good blend of fight scenes and comedy!! Maybe its best just to fast forward to this part!! The rest of the movie is a waste of time Reviewer Score: 6

Reviewed by: mpongpun Date: 12/26/2002 So who's the "mismatched" couple? Yuen Wo Ping and Wong Wan Si? Yuen Wo Ping and Donnie? Donnie and May Lo? Donnie and Dick Wei? Take your pick. This flick definitely has that '80's feel. You'll get to see Donnie and couple of other guys pop and break dance all over the place. Yuen Wo Ping plays a former Peking Opera member, named Min, who is out of job and without money-not to mention starving. Min comes across good guy, Eddie (Donnie Yen), and the two literally become the best of friends. Eddie tries to get Min back on his feet by having him work at his Sister's (played by Wong Wan Si) restaurant. Eventually, the story starts to wander in different directions as Eddie has to choose his squeeze between a hot model or a vanilla looking girl (May Lo), not to mention Min's relationship with Eddie's sister. With all these mismatched relationships going on, Yuen Wo Ping manages to add a little subplot about a psycho (played by Dick Wei) who wants to challenge Eddie to a fight at any cost. This is not the greatest movie, but I kind of enjoyed it because of Dick Wei. Rarely will you see this guy doing any comedy, but in this flick, he tops the cake. He looks like a natural. This flick is also one of the rare times you'll actually see Yuen Wo Ping with a lot of screen time. So enjoy this flick while you can!

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