Movie review by: Thomas Huong
Click here for pictures Fans of Hokkien movies take note!
Those three guys from the runaway success Singapore movie Money No Enough are back again!
Wow, I can just hear the cheering begin as fond and funny memories of various scenes from
Money No Enough come back to mind. This time, they are back with That One No Enough,
another Singapore production which stars Jack Neo, Mark Lee, Henry Thia, Patricia Mok and
John Cheng from Money No Enough plus newcomer Hong Hui Fang.
Directed and scripted by Jack Neo in his first directorial debut of a feature film and
produced by Meileen Choo, chairman of Cathay Organization, That One No Enough is another
comedy drama banking on the market's appetite for well-made Chinese movies other than Hong
Kong productions. As with Money No Enough, the language used in the movie is mostly
Hokkien laced with Mandarin and Singlish.
The sub-caption below the main title of the movie, 'Singapore's Guide to Wedded Bliss'
tells it all. The plot basically revolves around the love lives of three men and how they
each deal with it. Hao Ren (Jack Neo) acts as a husband who has been woefully neglected by
his wife, Chow Min Hui (Hong Hui Fang) in favour of her career. This situation is
hilariously shown by constant business phone calls interrupting their 'romantic'
anniversary dinner and even sex life. Hao Ren's situation is further complicated by the
fact that his wife and mother are at odds over his mother's wish to have a grandchild and
his wife's decision not to have a baby as it would jeopardize her career. As a result, Hao
Ren inevitably starts having an affair with his wife's secretary, Jenny.
Cheung Guo Yung is a typical Ah Beng who goes out every night to meet prostitutes, with
his wife none the wiser. His philosophy of marital responsibilities, in response to a
friend's question, is summed up when he says, "Who says I am not a responsible man? I
give my wife an allowance every month and bring the family on a holiday outing every year.
But when it comes to my sexual needs, my wife is either having her period or too tired
after doing housekeeping and taking care of the kids to entertain me. So, I am forced to
go outside in order to satisfy my sexual needs." A point of view I am sure that many
Malaysian and Singaporean men would secretly agree with! (Not that yours truly agrees as
well, okay, for the information of the female population out there.)
Ah Kun (Henry Thia) is a sex-starved single guy who is constantly on the prowl for
pornographic movies and pictures. Egged on by his co-worker Ming Shun (John Cheng, who was
last seen as a loan shark in Money No Enough), Ah Kun finally takes Hui Yi (Patricia Mok),
the daugther of his boss, who has secretly taken a liking to him, out on a date. Here, the
movie attempts to take a pot-shot at 'Titanic' in the scene where Ah Kun and Hui Yi are
making love.
With the success of Money No Enough, it was inevitable that I had to end up comparing
it with That One No enough. And That One No Enough just isn't enough (pun intended) in fun
and entertainment in comparison. The plot itself doesn't make any inroads into the comedy
drama genre and many of the jokes are ones we have seen before. Perhaps it was the
expectations raised by Money No Enough that a Singaporean production could also have the
same quality as certain Hong Kong and Hollywood productions, but sadly, That One No Enough
just doesn't have the same appeal. The film trys to explore the different marital
philosophies espoused by the different characters, such as the initial faithfulness and
fidelity of Hao Ren and the ever-continuing philandering ways of Cheung Guo Yung but falls
flat on its face in an attempt to make any real impact in the adequacy of the plot.
However, That One No Enough is still good enough for a few laughs and should still attract
the Hokkien movie-goers to the theaters.
