There’s a bit of everything and most of it works in “Chasing Dream,” the first feature directed by Hong Kong ace Johnnie To since “Three” in 2016. Far from what fans of To’s hard-boiled crime drama…
, “Youth”), a homeless young singer heavily in debt to Gao. The tone is dark as Tiger takes Cuckoo to his warehouse home and sends her out to work off the debt as a pole dancer and car wash girl. Things begin to lighten up when Cuckoo escapes and makes a frantic and funny dash to a number of venues hosting auditions for “Perfect Diva,” a popular “China Idol”-like TV talent show.
The duo start to click when Cuckoo tells Tiger that songs she wrote have been stolen and recorded by her ex-boyfriend, Qu Fengfeng , a vain pop star and “Perfect Diva” judge. Her desire for revenge and fame helps Tiger soften up and admit his body’s a wreck and he’d rather quit fighting and open a hot-pot restaurant., keeps romance at bay until practically the closing curtain. For Tiger and Cuckoo, the focus is squarely on forming a pragmatic partnership to achieve social and career goals.
In one delightful sequence, Tiger rounds up a host of musicians that owe Gao money and turns them into a hot backing band for Cuckoo. The hysterical adulation of celebrities and hyped-up formats of TV talent shows are mocked in scenes showing “Perfect Diva” audiences going bananas when Qu Fengfeng strikes poses and performs facial “looks” like some kind of Chinese Zoolander.
Less successful is the attempt to bring real emotional heft to the tale. Tiger’s re-connection with his cash-strapped former trainer Ma Qing , and Cuckoo’s tearful reunion with her grandmother are more obligatory than rewarding.
Heung is fine as the slightly dim slugger but this is really Wang’s show. The talented dancer and singer gives a sparkling performance as the troubled girl who gradually finds her angelic voice. A top supporting cast includes Wu Yitong as an amusingly serious “Perfect Diva” judge, and the whole show bounces along nicely to catchy tunes and splendid incidental music by the consistently excellent Peter Kam.
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