Even someone like me, who simply can't watch enough Triad chop-fests, needs some light entertainment from time to time - which is where films like this come in ;) It's one of the reasons I have so many Stephen Chow films, and also why I am somewhat partial to the occasional Andy Lau/Sammi Cheng romantic comedy. Oh, and the fact that I've had a huge crush on Sammi Cheng for years may have something to do with it, but that's another matter altogether...Which brings me to this film.The film takes us through a series of comedic events, mainly related to a young group of people's attempts to get themselves on the HK property ladder before it's too late. It also deals with various other Hong Kong-related issues - Mainlanders, cheating husbands with Mainland concubines, and greedy materialistic women to name but three - you name it, it's here, and more. There's probably a milk powder reference in there somewhere too, but it's been a few days since I saw the film, so I'm not certain ;)But despite the main characters frustration at the crazy price of housing, don't expect any "Dream Home"-style bloodshed. No, this is family entertainment, but dealing with adult problems. I'm not from HK, but having been priced out of London, despite working harder and harder, I can certainly sympathise with Hong Kong people.Yet it's not overly serious, and doesn't even come close to offering any solutions to the issues involved - violent or otherwise. No, this is just good old-fashioned mainstream money-making fun - if you're looking for a pretentious art-house snoozer, you need to look elsewhere.However, as some have mentioned, this could have been better. There's certainly some missed opportunities for laughs - watching Sammi's character cleaning the floor, I couldn't help thinking that she could have referenced her manic "Needing You..." toilet cleaning scene instead.The ending is fairly predictable, but we're not talking Fruit Chan Gor or Wong Kar-Wai here - this is pure entertainment, and the primary intention clearly isn't to make us think, but to have a humorous look at one of the issues which affects today's HK. And to make the producers lots of money of course - which is about as Hong Kong as you can get.This film will make little sense to anyone who isn't familiar with the current socio-political climate in HK, so its appeal outside Asia is likely to be limited to the Chinese diaspora, fans of the actors, or those who have some kind of connection to the region. And actresses like Myolie Wu (sadly under-used here) are unlikely to mean much to those who aren't familiar with TVB dramas. But if you're in the mood for a good laugh, and are a fan of at least one of the main actors, I would recommend it. I'm sure I spotted a brief Sandra Ng cameo as well :)Definitely one of my favourite films of the year, even though it's a little disposable. Certainly a good laugh at times, and well worth the price of the DVD. Just don't expect it to be in the same league as films like "Needing You..." or "Justice, My Foot!".

In Hong Kong, land space is limited, soaring residential property and rental prices have made it extremely difficult for many ordinary Hong Kong citizens to own a house of their own without tying themselves up in a lifetime of debt. This is mainly due to rampant property speculation which caused prices to rise uncontrollably in the property market over the years. As a result, society has become increasingly shallow, superficial and materialistic over the years as the desire for more money to afford a property leads to further erosion of moral values and core ethics, affecting future generations.Temporary Family is basically a story about the lives of four people who are forced to live together in a luxury apartment after their plan to resell it backfired due to property market cooling measures implemented by the Hong Kong government. Lung (Nick Cheung) is a desperate property agent who tries to earn more money to buy a 1,000 sq ft flat to please her air-stewardess girlfriend Julie (Myolie Wu) so that she would marry him. Charlotte (Sammi Cheng) is a recent divorcée who refuses to accept that her husband just doesn't love her anymore and unable to move on, even after receiving a large sum of money after the divorce. Lung's step-daughter, Ah Hak (Angelababy) has a flat but she doesn't like the location and she wants to stay with Lung instead. Very Wong (Ou Hao) is a rich mainland colleague of Lung's who is eager to prove his worthiness to his wealthy dad that he can be successful without his father's help.The film has a weird blend of comedy and drama that works quite well. Some of the jokes were quite funny and entertaining. Nick Cheung and Sammi Cheng both delivered strong acting performances to carry the film. Another thing worth mentioning is Angelababy Yeung's appearance without make-up. WOW. It really shows what a huge difference make-up can have on a woman's appearance. (Don't get me wrong, she still look attractive though) It's quite rare for an actress to be willing to make such an appearance in film. As usual, there's a few Hong Kong celebrity cameo appearances (Jacky Cheung, Ivana Wong) throughout the film as well.As the film progresses, it starts to shift its focus to Charlotte, who is still hoping that one day she can reunite with her husband of 10 years. She has dedicated most of her life for her husband. Her emotions and drive provide the necessary emotional backdrop to show the audience why a residential property should be a home instead of a mere trading asset. The film lets its audience to sit back, reflect, and think about what is the fundamental purpose of owning a property in the first place...is it a home for you and your family to live in or just something that you can trade countless times with other people? A house should be a place for you to provide shelter to your family to create memories together. Most of the property speculation are mainly driven by greed or desire to make profit. Furthermore, society nowadays has become so obsessed with money, property ownership to the point that people are willing to forsake love and relationship for them. It's sad but true at the same time.Despite its thoughtful premise and decent acting performances from the main casts, the script is just not compelling enough to leave a strong lasting impression to the audience. The film does not push its themes further enough to pack a punch. It takes a more light-hearted, entertaining approach by providing a happy ending for its closure. Overall, Temporary Family is still a decent film to watch, it's just that I was actually hoping that the film would take a much more ambitious approach to push it further.Rating: 6.5/10http://yjcool.blogspot.com/2014/09/movie-review-temporary-family.html

The themes of limited land space and skyrocketing property prices that underpin Temporary Family will resonate with all Singaporeans. After all, in Hong Kong and in this tiny island-state of ours, it's becoming increasingly difficult to own a home without having to tie oneself up in a lifetime of debt. What gets lost in the translation is the film's awkward blend of comedy and drama, which forces its main characters to veer haphazardly from playing the fool to brooding about as a deeply tragic figure.Lung (Nick Cheung) is a property agent on a deadline: his incredibly practical girlfriend requires that he double his assets and the square footage of the apartment he's offering her before she will marry him. Desperate to succeed, Lung convinces his stepdaughter Hak (Angelababy), super-rich intern Very (Oho Ou) and wealthy divorcée Charlotte (Sammi Cheng) to buy a relatively cheap penthouse with him - one which they will 'flip' for profit when the price of the flat inevitably rises in future. Lung is flummoxed, however, when new regulatory controls are imposed by the government that make it almost impossible for him to resell the property. In the meantime, the foursome wind up as the strangest - and untidiest - of bedfellows.It's not that there isn't plenty of potential in Temporary Family. Writer-director Cheuk Wan-Chi has created characters who are, frankly, fascinating. Charlotte, in particular, hides a world of hurt beneath her cheery, Louboutin-obsessed exterior. Peeling away her layers reveals a tale of misery that could easily have been the centrepiece of its own film. But the way in which her story actually plays out feels faintly ridiculous, even in moments of high drama and tension. Her character walks a very fine line between being strong and foolish, and Cheuk isn't quite assured enough a director to find both the comedy and tragedy of Charlotte's plight.The other characters are in the same boat. We are frequently told that Lung has a depth and spirit to him that's now been drained away by the demands of real life, but it becomes increasingly hard to care when his desperation to sell the property makes him largely oblivious to the troubles of everyone around him, especially Hak. What dramatic depth the character has is also leeched away by the string of iniquities to which he's subjected throughout the film, like dog-sitting for a capricious customer or tangling with an unidentifiable stray hair in the penthouse.At least Cheuk's cast is worth the watch. Cheng walks away with MVP honours; she's as convincing when clowning her way through a scene as she is when heartbrokenly squeezing a cupcake to bits in her hand. Angelababy, so typecast as the feisty, pretty girl in much of her filmography to date, breaks free of that stereotype as Hak, a tantalisingly tough tomboy of a delivery girl who remains close to Lung even though there have been several boyfriends since in her mother's life. Cheung and Ou do well enough with more undercooked parts.It's hard to tell what to think by the time the movie draws to a close. Tables have been overturned (literally), romance has been kindled, and the themes of the film seem to have been lost in the process. To be fair, Cheuk does find something incisive to say every once in a while about the ever higher costs of owning your own home. But she also seems to spend more time distracting her audience - and herself - with comic antics that don't amount to much.