Rating: 3.0

With Ivana Wong on board, a few satirical barbs at the industry and a degree of wit that while not exactly Neil Simon is refreshing, this is better than it should have been.

This may not be his very best comedy, but it is definitely worthwhile and among his better efforts. Therefore this still has much to commend and is well worth watching.

There are quite a few spurts of fight action, but these are in-keeping with the playful tone of the film and offer little spectacular.

It’s hard to think of a film that attempts to mix so many elements together, trying to please just about every potential viewer.

The high standards of satire and sentimentality that had previously been attained have been sacrificed in a bid to be ’more accessible’ – a double-edged sword if ever there was one.

‘Merantau’ is a good-looking film, but in every other department it is just a touch too average to stand out from the crowd.

Though director Norman Law sets up a few interesting rivalries between the characters, the film tends to get too bogged down in its teen romance sub-plot.

If nothing else, this film goes to show how a lack of good material can sometimes be covered over by an excellent cast.

The new material alone isn’t really worth the time investment, and there are far too many missing elements for newcomers to make this their jumping-off point.

Though it’s not in the same league as the Michael Hui hits it tries to emulate, ‘Money Crazy’ is still reasonably entertaining and certainly better than Woo’s other ventures into the genre.

Although there is a great deal of potential within the casting, ‘Mr.Boo Meets Pom Pom’ is certainly the weakest of the Pom Pom quartet.

Thrown together rather than constructed, this is a production where the director has little idea how to generate organic laughs from situations and must therefore shoe-horn them in.