Although, this Hong Kong comedy movie produced by Television Broadcasts Limited, marks the first time, Wong Cho Lam, Louis Yuen and Sze Chit Lee has work together outside of the semi entertaining variety show, 'Fun with Liza and the Gods'; the film was still pretty hard to wrestle with. I found the concept of a down on their luck, group of friends, starting their own street wrestling business, only to be challenge by a bigger international promotional company, to a one on one, semi real street fight, horribly told. After all, the movie written by social activist, Wong Yeung Tat was not very focused with the pro wrestling concept. The story was all over the place. One minute, it's a series of mostly very unfunny jokes and gags of the trio losing their jobs like cemetery plot salesperson or trying new jobs like singing in drag. Overlap with an overall focus on exposing the outrageous housing problems and the high unemployment rates of Hong Kong. Then, the next minute, it's about making fun of that country's cinema and television programs including parodies of Chinese Gun Fu and Martial Arts genre films with a series of unrelated skits. Because of these unconnected events intermixing with each other with such lousy editing and poor transition. The pacing for this film directed by Chung Shu Kai was way off. It takes forever for the pro wrestling sequences to even start to take form. 30 minutes in. To add to the insult, it become very clear, as the movie goes on, that the writer doesn't know anything about pro wrestling. Especially, when it comes to the decision to make the contests in the film seem legit or not. I don't like how the movie expose how the fights are athletics mixed with theatrical performance, under predetermined outcomes to heighten entertainment value; only to forget about it, toward the end of the movie. There is no need to add more suspense, between the trio and the American wrestlers, when it didn't need to. It came across as highly anachronistic, jarring nor make any sense in the story, they were originally telling. Despite that, I have to give the three actors, mad props for all the stunt work, they were able to pull off. The way, they did wrestling moves were impressive. Even if, it looks highly cartoony and fake. Also, I didn't mind, the over the top slapstick montage, the boys had with their trainer played by comedian, Eric Tsang training for the match. Those scenes involving him, were some of the best moments in the film. As for the finishing move, the trainer taught them; a nod to the video game, 'Angry Birds'. I felt that it was bit oddly place, but absurd enough in the way, it was execute that it felt somewhat funny to see. In the end, the main characters were compelling enough to root for, with each one of them, has something to prove, such as being a good lover, husband, and father. Still, I wasn't really invest in the East versus West storyline as I should had. Maybe, it's because, the filmmaker lied about the posters of Bobby Lashley and Batista making an appearance, when they didn't or the fact, I knew in advance that regardless if the boys won or not; they still got paid. In truth, the sentimental dramatic of that fight, seem a bit forced and last minute. It didn't match well with the overall silly antics, the film was portraying. Unfortunately, the climax wasn't help, by the lack of charisma and depth, when it comes to the trio's in ring persona. Despite that, the boys did shine in the other parts of the movie; even if, most of their act, felt like rehash from their variety show, and from Hui Brothers comedies from the 1970s and 1980s. They did make me laugh. In particular, when the trio serve as extras in the filming of a major star's period drama. That was funny. However, sadly, not all the jokes landed with me. Some of the humor were so cringe worthy that I had to face palm myself, because I felt embarrassed for allow myself, to watch this extremely low brow movie. Call it, subjective, or a failure in communication due to the language barrier, but sexual assault jokes like the one toward the beginning of the film, doesn't make me laugh at all. Then, there are reference jokes that were so out there that it really does require the viewer, a knowledge of Hong Kong culture, such in the case, where when they met the mysterious public service announcement heroine. Not only that, but when the film has star cameos making fun of some their most memorable performance in their respective filmographies. Scenes like that, will likely be lost on a foreign audience. Then, there is the problem with translation. The English subtitles don't accurate attempt to show the mannerisms and voice quality of the Cantonese language that well. A good example of that, is the scene where one of the characters is doing local celebrity impression in a police's interruption room. Every one of them, sounds the same in English. Despite that, the movie does have a really cool easy to listen to, soundtrack. The song 'We are champions' was very catchy. In the end, I still can't recommend this movie. It's like taking a body slam. Its look fun, but it hurts really bad, afterwards. This film is not really worth getting your hands on.

TVB is no stranger to making relevant and entertaining HK movies. Once again starring Wong Cho Nam, Eric Tsang and everyone else you can name in TVB. It's rare for HK cinema nowadays to produce a movie that is for the HK audience, about HK culture, life and people. The Fortune Buddies stay true to this and in turn produce a movie that is incoherent, yet fun, uneven yet interesting and mo-lei-tau yet entertaining. In a way, this film cannot be assessed as a movie, but rather as a snapshot of fun that HK people need and require. All in all, The Fortune Buddies is one of the better HK films to come out of the tiny territory and that's an achievement alone. Definitely worth viewing as a mindless, painless, fun time killer event…

Neo rates it 7/10.

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