The Doctor in Spite of Himself (1999)
Reviewed by: ButterflyMurders on 2002-06-09
Summary: The viewer, in spite of herself
Were Hong Kong film-makers so out of ideas they had to go and replicate films made from about twenty years ago? This film just FEELS old. It feels like a movie Karl Maka would have made waaaaay back when he was still a decent comic, except that Karl Maka would have made it better and much more funnier. Comedies are boring to watch when just about none of the jokes and extended skits are even mildly amusing. At one point I felt rather guilty for not even smiling, because it was obvious everyone were trying hard. Maybe too hard - the exaggerated acting was quite distracting. TV series costumes and sets don't help either.

Speaking of TV series, therein lies no. 2. Not only does it feel old, it doesn't even feel like a movie. It feels very low-budget and made-for-TV. It was hard for me to believe this was a legitimate, made-for-cinema movie.

Now, now. It's never good to be totally pessimistic about a movie. I can dreg out one positive about this-the storyline is coherant. It's simple, it's straightforward, it can probably be summed up in one sentence, but at least it's there. At least this film has a backbone.

Anyone got a cure for borednitis? 2/10