Hanky Panky (1999)

I just can't help myself. I spot a poster like the one for Hanky Panky - revealing Lai, Yiu and Cheung in leading roles, no less - and I'm straight to the ticket window forking over the cash. The mere presence of the threesome allays the trepidation that comes from spotting Emily Kwan in the promo stuff. She tends to signal a dud movie and in hindsight, I should have taken the hint.

Sam's wife has been missing for just under seven years. His mum (Law) wants grandchildren and his obnoxious girlfriend's schemy family wants Sam's wealth. But Sam (Lai) is holding off - he knows he cannot legally wed until seven years pass since is wife disappeared. But Mum pulls off a trick with calendars and soon he marries the vile Pauline (Kwan). Surprise, surprise... the missing wife (Yiu) reappears on the wedding day. Sam and his family decide to use first wife Cindy, previously thought dead, to disguise as a ghost and spook Pauline into a divorce. It doesn't go as planned, and soon Pauline goes insane...

By the time the insanity looms up on the plot, at about the one hour mark, what bits of comedy there are dry up completely. Some clever folk walked out of the auditorium. The last 50 minutes of this film are feeble melodrama to somehow bring the film up to 109 minutes - astonishing for something so limp. It's a shame.

Hanky Panky painted billboard at the Astor Classics cinema.

Credits:

Starring Lai Yiu-cheung, Sherming Yiu Lok-yi, Emily Kwan Bo-wai, Helena Law Lan, Cheung Tat-ming and Chin Kar-lok