Tong Pak Fu (Chow) is the leading scholar of the infamous "Four Scholars" and excels at poetry, painting, music and ... well, just about everything really.  Despite having eight wives he is still remains unhappy as they persist in spending their time at the Mahjong tables.  Thankfully, his life changes for the better when he catches sight of the beautiful Chow Heung (Gong Li) who has a smile that makes him realise she is the one true girl for him.  Heung is a servant of a household that hates the work of Tong Pak Fu so he must enter disguised as a servant. Trouble begins when the "Four Perverted Heroes" decide to take Chow Heung for themselves and an old enemy of Pak Fu's father is hired to kill the family.

Although at first glance this film may appear a little too "home-grown" to appeal to international audiences, 'The Flirtong Scholar' is in fact one of Chow's most easily accessible and highly amusing comic adventures.  It's true that it is based on a classic Chinese tale and contains a lot of Chow's notorious 'fast speak' (which just does not translate well), but it is littered with enough trademark slapstick routines, well choreographed kung fu fights and easy-to-spot spoofs, that it can appeal to anyone from any nationality.  Trust me, if you don't smile at least once then you must have had a humour bypass at some stage in your life.

All the performances from the cast are first rate, particularly from Chow himself who plays a part not a million miles removed from previous roles but he exudes such charm and energy that he is always a joy to watch.  There is also a notable chemistry between the two leads, even considering the fact that Li's character is not exactly as fleshed out as it could be but this can be forgiven in a comedy such as this.  Ng Man Tat's regular understudy, Natalis Chan, once again steps into the breach in his absence and is at times so amusing that Man Tat will have to keep one eye over his shoulder if he wants to maintain his sidekick spot.

A love story, comedy and action film all rolled into one, 'The Flirtong Scholar' is top entertainment for experienced H.K. movie connoisseurs or newcomers alike.