Joe Ma continues his string of modest box-office hits with The Lion Roars, a welcome costume comedy which pairs eternally-tanned Louis Koo with beleagured celebrity Cecilia Cheung. Koo is Seasonal Chan, a meek poet who's picky about finding a new wife. He lucks out (?) when he meets Moth Liu (Cecilia Cheung), who's strong-willed and utterly charming. In a strange turn of events, the Emperor actually forces the two to marry, but they seem happy with the arrangement. After all, neither has had much success in finding a desirable other half, and they seem to hit it off immediately.
     However, there's a big problem. Liu is violently tempermental and insanely jealous. Given the times, the wife is expected to remain submissive and respectful to her husband, but Liu doesn't play that game. She's loves Chan, but dominates him incessantly, leading to all sorts of problems with neighbors, friends and even government officials. Everyone wants Liu tamed, but Chan is reluctant to do so. Presumably, it's because he's scared of Liu, but the other reason seems to be that he genuinely loves his irrepressible wife.
     It's here where Cecilia Cheung's performance comes in mighty handy. While still a raw, undisciplined talent, Cheung shows a rough charm and appealing sexiness which compliments her beautiful face. She looks incredibly hungry (why must these ingenues lose even more weight?), but she handles the role well, even through some grand shifts in tone. This is probably her most welcome performance since Wu Yen.
     Still, the film doesn't entirely suit her. Sometimes the shtick she engages in is annoying and tiresome. And frankly, the entire first half of the film is composed of annoying and tiresome shtick. The plot seems randomly generated, and isn't truly interesting. It relies entirely too much on Cheung and co-star Koo to carry the questionably funny comedy, and they don't always come through. Koo, in particular, seems lost for a good portion of the film. While he's shown some good comedic instincts in the past, his performance here seems cribbed from Stephen Chow's greatest hits - and Koo is no Stephen Chow. He's a handsome and likable guy, but he fails at making Seasonal Chan a character worth caring about.
     Joe Ma has shown himself to be a fine director in the past, but the broad comedy of The Lion Roars seems ill-suited to his talents. He never finds a proper tone or pace which can engage his audience. Instead, it's in-your-face wackiness which is only occasionally funny. There are also mystifying stretches of silence which may make you check your watch. The film rights itself midway through when the couple encounters more pronounced marital difficulties stemming from a princess' affections for Chan. However, the shift in tone is abrupt, and doesn't seem convincing. The actors work better in the more serious scenes (especially Koo), but after all the wackiness that's gone before, the characters don't seem to make sense anymore.
     For popstar-watching, this film can be tops. Cecilia Cheung and Louis Koo are certainly attractive performers, and they're generally worth watching. However, the sheer unevenness of The Lion Roars makes it a difficult film to appreciate. The lazy screenwriting and meandering storyline are distracting, and the mixture of sap and seriousness is ill-fitting. The comedy is tiresome, and the drama - while occasionally affecting - seems out of place. Still, the actors give their all in the dramatic scenes, and some female fans of Koo might swoon over his exceptionally overwrought confession of love for Liu. It's hardly great cinema, but at least it seems to strike the proper chords. This could be the rare Hong Kong film where the serious stuff works better than the silly stuff.
     That doesn't mean it's a good film, though. (Kozo 2002)