Wai Ka-Fai steps out of Johnnie To's shadow to write, produce and direct "Fantasia," an homage, of sorts, to those super silly "bokchi" flicks of the '70s and '80s. A fond remembrance of the past is the impetus for "Fantasia," as Wai Ka-Fai throws every comedy bit he can against the wall to see what sticks...and I mean everything. Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Jordan Chan get involved with a wizard/genie. Cecilia Cheung plays the genie in Harry Potter attire and will grant the rubber of the lamp three wishes.

All the characters unabashedly mug for the camera with emphasis on creating caricature portralyals to the extreme. Somethings work and somethings don't. You may laugh or you may groan, but you will not fault the high energy output by the actors. Although the filmmakers use comedies from the '70s and '80s as a model, movies by Michael and Sam Hui in particular ("Private Eyes," "Aces Go Places"), "Fantasia" has more of a '90s Wong Jing feel, evoking such films as "Whatever You Want" and "Tricky Business."

"Fantasia" is goofy fun. One thing that was missing, and thankfully Wai Ka-Fai decided to leave it out, was the cheesy sythesizer music. Besides being a trip down memory lane, "Fantasia" is a pleasant way to pay your respects to the low brow, broad based Cantonese comedies of the past. Now, I can't imagine watching a string of similar comedies, but "Fantasia" is a fine offering and a harmless diversion with some good-hearted belly laughs.