Chinese New Year comedies may not be everybody's cup of tea - normally, they are messy, low-budget affairs all driven by the same formula: all-star cast comes together to play either a large family or the staff at a family restaurant (usually 3 main leads, plus wise old father figure). The harmony and bliss of traditional Chinese values (family, community) that they represent is then threatened by outside forces only to triumph in the end. All this of course is backdrop for various comedic antics that are geared towards one over-riding goal: pair off as many of the stars in romantic couples as possible. And at the end, assemble everyone for the traditional New Year's Wishes.

The "All's Well, Ends Well" series exemplifies the above formula at its finest, and this 1998 offering tries very hard to follow in the footsteps of that series, with mixed results. The cast includes Ng Man-Tat as the owner of the Lucky Coffee Shop, famous in the neighborhood for its freshly baked Egg Tarts. His waiters include a number of familiar faces, most notably Stephen Chow and Eric Kot. Eric does his usual stick, which I find extremely annoying. It ruined Lawyer, Lawyer, and it's not very funny here either. If it weren't for the brilliant "You Shoot, I Shoot" I'd say the man should once and for all stay away from comedies and concentrate on directing his WKW wannabe movies... Stephen, on the other hand, does a rather subdued (for him) yet very effective take of the God of Gamblers iconography by playing the Prince of Egg Tarts, a waiter who is seemingly irresistable to women.
Also on board are Daniel Chan, playing Ng Man-Tat's son, Sandra Ng as the evil landlady Flirty Si, and Shu Qi, Kristy Yeung and Sammi Cheng as the three main romantic leads.

Watch the movie if you want to know who gets paired off with whom, but be warned that Shu Qi does her utmost to live up to her reputation of playing ditzy pouting girly roles. Some may call it charming, others can't bear it. So depending on which part of the great Shu Qi divide you fall on, your take on this movie may be quite different. Either way, there's no doubt that the other 2 actresses (Kristy and a rather pasty-looking Sammi) pale in comparison and remain somewhat bland and forgettable.

Some plot elements were lifted from the Julia Roberts episode of friends, but that can go both ways. In fact, Stephen Fung's recent "Shadow" is built around a premise that is copied almost verbatim from the back story between Stephen Chow's and Sammi's characters in this movie...

In summary, the movie is not as good overall as for example the first All's Well, Ends Well, but still provides for a pleasurable viewing experience marred only by the presence of Eric Kot. Marginal recommendation.