"Lucky Star Arch" is basically a reproduction of Eddie Murphy's classic comedy "Journey to America", in which Chow Yun Fat plays the richest man in Hong Kong, who is very tired of high life. Everyone around him flattered him, and his life events were completely controlled by the family, so he decided to go out to work and live a normal life.
Shortly after leaving the world of the rich who don't eat human fireworks, he landed a job in a restaurant. He was satisfied with the relatively relaxed environment and was happy to take on the most trivial chores. And slowly fell in love with the restaurateur's sister, using his subtle charm to attract her attention.
But the restaurateur had other plans, and he was bent on marrying her to another rich suitor, despite his sister's wishes. And Zhou Runfa's family also arranged an undesirable engagement partner for him, and the world of the rich people he had lived in inevitably began to collide with his current new environment. Eventually, he had to reveal his true identity to everyone and try to win the hearts of his loved ones.
Hong Kong Chinese New Year films often follow a very clear pattern, that is, stars gathered, laid out gorgeously, the scenes are festive, and the connotation is lacking. While It's true that Arch of Lucky Stars is a star-studded hit (including pop band Beyond), thankfully, it's more entertaining than many well-known Chinese New Year movies.
Although similar story concepts have been interpreted in many films long before "Journey to America", director Du Qifeng has successfully made it into a funny comedy, and the film's narrative cohesion exceeds expectations.
Chow Yun-fat's performance is closer to the performance in "The Diary of a Big Husband", rather than the exaggerated performance style in "Eight Star Annunciation" or "Gongzi Amorous", which is undoubtedly a plus. Partnered with Zhou Runfa is Zhang Aijia, who has always been very professional, and the heroine she plays is very likable, while the funny part is mainly played by Li Zhi and Zheng Danrui.
"Arch of the Stars" is not very funny, nor is it particularly hilarious, and its sense of humor hits the heart in subtle ways. All in all, this is a satisfying Chow Yun-fat comedy that successfully tells a satisfying secular love story.