Love In The Buff
Pang Ho Cheung
The story: At the end of Love In A Puff (2010), adman Jimmy (Shawn Yue) won over cosmetics salesgirl Cherie (Miriam Yeung). But happily ever after proves elusive as they begin to fight and Jimmy leaves Hong Kong to work in China. Cherie eventually finds herself working on the mainland too. They remain attracted to each other even though Jimmy is dating a stewardess (Yang Mi) and Cherie is pursued by an older businessman (Xu Zheng).

 The criminally overlooked Love In A Puff was one of the best films of 2010, so it is with delight and trepidation that one approaches its sequel. The good news is that Love In The Buff is a worthy successor even if it does not quite reach the same heights as Puff. Right off the bat, Buff echoes the earlier film’s sly opening gambit in which the narrative thread that is unfolding turns out to be a story that a character in the movie is relating. In this case, it is Cherie telling Jimmy a yarn. Listening to his characters talk is one of the greatest pleasures of watching a film by Pang Ho Cheung, a leading light of Hong Kong cinema in recent years. The writer-director has a keen ear for dialogue, both in the way characters engage in conversation and the way they tell one another tales. He reminds one of American film-maker Kevin Smith (Clerks, 1994), who also crafts movies full of sharp repartee with a good- natured sweetness at a script’s core. Because the dialogue is so realistic, Jimmy and Cherie come across as flesh-and-blood characters. Yue and Yeung are also perfectly cast: He as the impish boy-man and she as the older, more mature woman. And of course, the two share a cosy chemistry that makes you root for them even as obstacles threaten to trip them up. There is a pivotal scene in which Cherie admits to Jimmy that being with him has changed her and yet it ends on a funny note with a comment from him. It beautifully illustrates how different the two of them are and yet also compellingly demonstrates why they would be attracted to each other. Buff meanders more than Puff did, though there are a few amusing cameos thrown in here, including from popular 1990s singer Linda Wong and China actor Huang Xiaoming. Best of all is singer-actor Ekin Cheng appearing as himself as Jimmy tries to ferret out whether he was, as Cherie claims, her first boyfriend. Do not be in a hurry to leave after the film ends as there is a bonus music video clip that is a hoot to watch. In a way, the movie itself reflects the progression of Jimmy and Cherie’s relationship. What was fresh, fun and exciting at first has become familiar. To Pang’s credit, he manages to pull out some surprises and he shows that familiar characters can still create sparks together. (ST)