If you are open-minded and want too see a different kind of romance story, “Love on a Diet” with a blend of comedy and romance may be a movie that you want to check out.
Love on a Diet (2001)
CAST: Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng
DIRECTED BY: Johnny To, Wai Kai Fai
TYPE OF MOVIE: Romance, Comedy
DURATION: 94 minutes
Note:Â Viewed China Star HK Entertainment DVD version with removable English subtitles.
Movie Synopsis:
Mini (Sammi Cheng) is an expatriate Hong Konger in Japan with a weight problem – all of 300 over pounds. It turns out that she is the long lost love he broods over, inflicted with an eating disorder as the result of their parting, so much so that she becomes unrecognizable to him. The only way is to lose 200 over pounds in 2 weeks. This is where Fatty (Andy Lau) comes in?
DVD EXTRAS:
– Trailers
– 25-minute Making Of Featurette (with English Subtitles)
KNOWN DVD SECRET(S):Â None that I know of
DVD REVIEW:
“Love on a Diet” would probably be one of the most difficult characters for Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng to play. Sure we saw Monica on “Friends” play her overweight self when she was younger but in this case Andy and Sammi play overweight characters Fatty and Mini.
Now the movie is not taking aim against very obese people but the movie is about a woman named Mini who goes through withdrawals when her boyfriend becomes a professional musician and travels around the world. To cope with her depression, she eats.
She becomes so overweight that when she goes to see her boyfriend at the piano concerts, even he doesn’t remember her.
But he promised and kept his promise to be with her even though he hasn’t seen her for many years. He is engaged to a new woman but still wants to see Mini and keep his promise to her.
Unfortunately, she is depressed because she is overweight and the only person to accept her is another overweight person named Fatty (Lau). After getting to know each other, Fatty will do whatever it takes to get Mini back to her slender self and that means going through certain sacrifices. But during the process, Mini and Fatty become attracted to one another. What will happen next?
The movie is unlike any romantic story I have seen before. You literally see the transformation of Mini through her obese->overweight->slender done by makeup which the directors brought over from the United States.
The actors had to be in makeup for 3-6 hours and had to learn to behave as one would that heavy. Special bags were put inside the costumes to limit their movement as if they were overweight.
The storyline is very cute and although not as great as “Needing You” starring both Lau and Cheng, this movie deserves a chance to be watched. Some may think it’s un-P.C. but if you are open-minded and want too see a different kind of romance story, “Love on a Diet” with a blend of comedy and romance may be a movie that you want to check out.
THE MOVIE: B+
THE DVD EXTRAS: B+
THE DVD OVERALL: B+