All's Well, Ends Well
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| All's Well, Ends Well | |
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| Directed by | Clifton Ko |
| Produced by | Clifton Ko Raymond Wong |
| Screenplay by | Vincent Kok Choi Ting-ting Roman Cheung Eric Yeung |
| Story by | Lee Lik-chi Woo Nga-si Raymond Wong Man Hang-yat Philip Cheng Woo Suet-lai |
| Starring | Leslie Cheung Stephen Chow Raymond Wong Maggie Cheung Sandra Ng Teresa Mo |
| Music by | Violet Lam |
| Cinematography | Lee Kin-keung |
| Edited by | Kam Ma |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Mandarin Films Ltd. Regal Films Distribution Co. Ltd. |
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Release dates
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25 January 1992 |
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Running time
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100 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | HK$48,992,188 |
All's Well, Ends Well is a 1992 Hong Kong comedy film directed by Clifton Ko. The film stars Leslie Cheung, Stephen Chow, Raymond Wong, Maggie Cheung, Sandra Ng, and Teresa Mo.
All's Well, Ends Well was a Lunar New Year film, where a film's release was timed to coincide with the larger movie audience at that time of year. The movie is also one of Stephen Chow's trademark 'mo lei tau' films of little sense but lots of good-natured humor, and is still considered to be a cult classic by most Hong Kong audiences.
The film was followed by six sequels:
- All's Well, Ends Well Too (1993)
- All's Well, Ends Well 1997 (1997)
- All's Well, Ends Well 2009 (2009)
- All's Well, Ends Well 2010 (2010)
- All's Well, Ends Well 2011 (2011)
- All's Well, Ends Well 2012 (2012)
Plot details
All's Well, Ends Well is a comic romance of 3 hapless brothers, who eventually learn through their amorous exploits and misadventures that love is only won through gradual nurturing, and quickly lost through the quick, dishonest, selfish ways which they have always taken for granted.
Moon (Raymond Wong) is eldest brother and head of the family. The film begins with the celebration of his 7th anniversary wedding with Leng, which celebration he deserts, preferring instead the company of his mistress (Sheila Chan). He turns up at home with her later, forcing his wife (whom he calls 'hag') to leave the house in dismay. Although she is very devoted to her husband and tolerates him for all his misbehaviors, her tolerance stops short of accepting his mistress openly in the family home.
So (Leslie Cheung) is an effeminate floral arranger and lecturer at an art school, who is good at cooking and enjoys women's hobbies. His second cousin Mo-seung comes to his house on that same evening, and entirely devours an elaborate gourmet banquet which So had intended as a gift for Leng on her otherwise disastrous wedding anniversary. From that day on, So and Mo-seung are constantly at loggerheads over trivial issues, insulting each other with vulgar metaphors during a mahjong game session, apparently irreconcilable.
Foon is a local radio DJ who flirts shamelessly while on air and is well-known among his legion of female fans for his impressive kissing technique. Holli-yuk (Maggie Cheung) calls him on air one day and arranges a date with him. She is an avid Hollywood movie lover who enjoys re-enacting particular love-scenes from movies. She is convinced that Foon shares her romantic outlook and they soon become lovers. Foon, however, is a notorious playboy not eager to settle down. Predictably, Holli-yuk catches him in an act of infidelity. After a freak accident leaves Foon suffering from a mildly debilitating mental illness, Holli-yuk offers to become a nurse for him. Taking advantage of her role as his nurturer, she gleefully devises methods to punish him for his callous behaviour.
The brothers' dilemmas are later resolved in similarly titled sequel films. Each story concludes on a cheeky and high-spirited note.
Cast and roles
- Stephen Chow as Seung Foon, a womanizer DJ who enjoys flirting while on broadcast
- Maggie Cheung as Holli-yuk, an art film-lover who dreams of finding her dream guy
- Leslie Cheung as Seung So, Foon's effeminate elder brother who is a floral arranger
- Teresa Mo as Leung Mo-seung, So's second cousin and nemesis turned lover
- Raymond Wong as Seung Moon, Foon's eldest brother who is unfaithful
- Sandra Ng as Leng, Wife of Moon who was divorced and then remarried
- Sheila Chan as Sheila, Moon's mistress who was once a beauty pageant winner
- Lee Heung-kam as Mama Seung, the brothers' mother
- Kwan Hoi-san as Papa Seung, the brothers' father
- Clifton Ko as an annoyed karaoke patron
- Vincent Kok as a Japanese businessman
- Loletta Lee as one of Foon's girlfriends
- James Wong
- Wong Kwong-leung as Brother Kwong
- Andrew Yuen as Kai-ming
- Cheri Ho as Dolleen
- Chow Chi-fai as a doctor
