Love On A Diet (2001)

Promotions in the weeks leading up to Love On A Diet's release centred on an oversize gimmick: featherweight stars Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng slipped into rubber fat suits. Yet far from being a one gag wonder, Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai's latest film offering proved a satisfying romantic comedy set abroad.

The location is Japan, where a matchmaking landlady passes off rotund Hong Kong expat Mini Mo (Cheng) to knife salesman Fatty (Lau). Mini's had a bad run in love -- when her relationship with pianist beau Kurokawa ended years before, she spiraled into binge eating to become a "300 lbs fatty". And Mini's not over him, either -- she's burnt through her savings attending Kurokawa's performances across Japan, obese and unrecognisable to the man she loves.

Fatty's erring companionship comes at a new low for Mini but change is afoot when Mini catches a radio interview with Kurokawa. Though engaged, he announces that Mini is not only his true love but that he also wants to see her in a few months' time. She thrilled... but not so excited about the extra kilos she's developed since they were last together.

Mini needs to return to her former thin frame fast. And luckily for her, with Fatty she's among good company. Fatty just happens to be a fellow Hongkonger and he rounds up his Chinatown mates to think up weight loss solutions to help the hometown girl. Laxatives and a tapeworm are placed on Mini's menu, and an enema's in the works, all with cumulative benefits to shed weight fast.

Audience members who suspect ingesting a tapeworm isn't the healthiest of diet plans will find their naysaying backed by a doctor on screen, who appears well into the slimming routine to warn of risks. And though Mini's final diet push comes courtesy of an expensive gym and a movie sponsor's pill, the dangerous business underlines a theme of self-inflicted harm for love. Fatty, who unsurprisingly builds affections for Mini, propels the theme further to become a human punching bag to raise cash to pay Mini's way through a weight loss programme. As actor Wong Tin-lam spells out in a single flash of subtitles: "What people will do for love!"

Fat gags still slip into the Love On A Diet mix, including much frenzied eating and the make-up, but my viewing experienced was ultimately buoyed by the pairing of the two leads and the uplifting romance angle. Standout is Andy Lau, putting across an enjoyably smug, and later quite endearing, charm through all the make-up, and playing off the mild situation comedy and upbeat romance threads nicely. Sammi Cheng gets in on the comic scenes with enthusiasm but excels in her more serious moments. Distinctive extras include Wong Tin-lam and Lam Suet among Fatty's mates, enlivening the diet-themed comedy scenes with their unpleasant advice and forming a lively little Hongkonger community in Japan. While I found little humour in its opening scenes, Love On A Diet's likeable take on its theme and romance angle offered ample return for my box office dollars.

Image 1: Love On A Diet hand-painted billboard at the Imperial Cinema.

Image 2: Love On A Diet is featured on an enormous banner
unfurled down the Miramar Hotel.

Note: Andy Lau's character is called Fatty in this review. I didn't catch a name in the subtitles other than "fatty", which translates the spoken name.

Credits:

Directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai
Written by Wai Ka-fai and Yau Nai-hoi
Starring Andy Lau Tak-wah, Sammi Cheng Sau-man, Lam Suet and Wong Tin-lam