MISS SHAMPOO (请问，还有哪里需要加强) (NETFLIX) (2023)

SYNOPSIS: From the director of TILL WE MEET AGAIN (2021), Giddens Ko returns with another whimsical love story adapted from his short story novel Precisely Out of Control. Starring award-winning actress Vivian Sung (NINA WU, 2019), musician/rapper Daniel Hong, and Kai Ko (MONEYBOY, 2021), with their captivating performance in this romantic comedy MISS SHAMPOO, it will amplify your love potion and get ready to fall in love all over again. In a hair salon located in an alley, apprentice Fen practices day and night in the hope of becoming a fully-fledged hairdresser soon. On a stormy night, Tai, a wounded gang boss, rushes into the salon to hide from his rival. With Fen’s help, Tai manages to escape. Smitten by Fen and to repay her kindness, Tai brings his underlings to have their hair cut in the salon and passionately pursues Fen. When Fen and Tai, who come from such different backgrounds, gradually come to understand each other and fall in love, Tai’s rival shows up and challenges Tai. Could the couple work together to overcome the difficulties and start a new life?  

MOVIE REVIEW:

The multi-hyphenate filmmaker, Giddens Ko (from You Are the Apple of My Eye) returns with his unique brand of humour and storytelling in Miss Shampoo.

Adapted from one of his short stories, Miss Shampoo tells the tale of how a triad gangster, Tai (Daniel Hong) falls madly in love with a hairdresser apprentice, Fen (Vivian Sung) after she saves him from a group of assassins.

With the support from his fellow followers or “brothers” as Tai prefers to call them, the latter begins to woo Fen despite her declaring she has an undergraduate boyfriend. Despite her less than impressive hairdressing skills, Tai forces or “introduces” his fellow gang members as clients to Fen.

But will this pair of unlikely duo ended up together in this familiar romantic affair?

While the prologue showcases a violent bloody affair involving Tai’s boss being murdered by a group of Thai assailants, the rest of the movie that follows is a light-hearted, occasional raunchy rom-com that has Tai doing all sorts of crazy gimmicks to win over Fen including seeking the approval of Fen’s family members to have sex with her.

If you are familiar with Giddens Ko’s stuff, you wouldn’t be too surprise by all his madcap, nonsensical humour and ultra-silly gags and tropes. However, Miss Shampoo spends so much time on the budding romance between Tai and Fen that the brewing intense triad rivalry between the various parties becomes much of an afterthought after the explosive opening.

One of Giddens’ frequent collaborator, Kai Ko also appears as Tai’s right hand man, Bryan who feels as a leader, Tai is not doing a good job leading the men. There is a much more interesting angle to the character of Bryan but unfortunately, his screen time is sacrificed for the love story. Adding insult to injury, there’s a last minute insertion of a backstory that tells of Tai’s past friendship with a national baseball player.

To be honest, Giddens Ko packs a bit too much to the narrative that it comes off neither satisfactory as a romantic comedy nor a revenge mafia story. Vivian Sung of course is likeable as the unconventional female lead. Newcomer Daniel Hong is both tough and fumbling as the “big brother” if only the story is as fulfilling as Ko’s last hit, Till We Meet Again.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee