Lunch with Charles (2001) Reviews

• A deeply textured romantic comedy

  Ursula4X2001-02-22

  Lunch with Charles was interesting on many levels and for many reasons. The film switches back at the beginning and the end from a crowded Hong Kong street to the wildly beautiful scenery of British Columbia. The mismatched lovers are also contrasts in culture and outlook. The actors were outstanding and did a great job in keeping the situation which could have been somewhat silly from getting out of hand. Nick Lea would have impressed me even if I was not already a fan. I like listening to comments about his acting from people who do not know who he is. In this case, most of the audience that attended were not Lea fans. I still heard favorable comments. The other leads were also well acted. It's an entertaining movie with people portrayed whom for the most part you really wouldn't mind spending time.

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• A sparkling jewel of a movie, well worth watching for its engaging storyline and warm characterisation

  sharonmarais2002-08-26

  I had the great privilege of seeing this film at the Cambridge International Film Festival 2001. Michael Parker said he calls the film a Romantic Tragedy and Comedy, and hopes we agree that each character is doing what they need to be doing by the end of the film. I certainly did, and I'd like to thank him for 109 minutes of sheer quality. I have to say that I think I've rarely seen a more rounded film, the story was entertaining and funny without trying too hard. Cinematically it was beautiful to watch and the acting was engaging and first class..this says a lot not only about the actors, but about the quality of the story writing and the directing too. For a first film this was outstanding, indeed I'd think it was outstanding how ever many films Michael Parker had directed before. I look forward with great anticipation to his next film. The subject matter of the film was treated gently, and yet considered seriously. The 'jokes', poking fun at cultural identities, and loss of identities etc. were done in such a way that I am sure no one could have been offended, the gentle humour from situations arising was one of the things that made me take this film to my heart. So many films that deal with situational comedy are flat and often irritating because they use too many 'in your face', 'beat you about the head until you get it', techniques, not so here....here you will be led by the hand through a warm, at times bitter sweet and always cleverly questing story. Thank god for someone with talent to be in charge of both the writing and the directing. Initially I came to see the film for Nick Lea's performance, what I got was not only a great performance from an actor I admire, but also a real treat visually (oh the scenery!) and audiologically...the music was such an integral part of the story that it was only on second viewing I managed to isolate some of the compositions and really listen....I commend the composers and performers for a job well done, a sparkling part of a beautiful jewel-like whole. The surprise of the film for me was Bif Naked..who gave a lovely performance as Matthew's (Nick Lea) girlfriend and I hope to see her in more films soon, I found her very engaging to watch. All the actors worked so well together that at times it was possible to forget that you were watching a scripted story. All in all the most heartwarming and entertaining film I have seen this year.

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• Stop and smell the roses

  braina2001-02-11

  I wasn't sure what to expect, and I was thoroughly impressed with all aspects of this film. The acting, scenery, score (I'm a big Paperboys fan(Finnegan's Take in the movie) and storyline were fresh and real. It was refreshing to see Vancouver being portrayed as Vancouver, for once - not a front for a Pacific Northwestern State like so many other movies, and the "inside" Vancouver jokes had most of the audience laughing out loud. I recommend this film to anyone who lives in the Vancouver area and/or anyone who needs to sit back, relax and become whimsical and hopeful, despite all the bumps along the road of life.

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• A very fine Canadian/Hong Kong co-production with a comedic storyline

  aranea-32001-01-30

  From the point of view of a Nicholas Lea fan - *slight* spoiler. Seen in Vancouver at the premiere showing, Jan 24, 2001, Tinseltown Theatre. Lunch With Charles is a movie with heart. We all knew it was going to be, because Nick Lea took a lead. More than that, he is credited as an executive producer, so it was always bound to have heart. It's a gentle film, in which six very different people find a way forward, and in doing so succeed in overcoming their own dissatisfaction with their lives. Written as well as directed by Michael Parker, it's a kindly movie, that pokes fun at the way cultures interact, without actually making fun of the cultures themselves. The basic plot has a Hong Kong resident, Tong, who is a realtor but whose heart is really in music making. He doesn't feel that he is attractive enough to make it as a singer in Hong Kong, but he loves music. His wife, April, has been in Canada for three years, and she is a driven, humourless yuppie who has given Tong an ultimatum. Come to Canada or the marriage is over. He finally comes to Vancouver just as April departs for the interior in order to carry out a promotion for an Irish Beer manufacturer, just as Tong arrives in town. April and Tong miss each other, and Tong sets off to Banff. Natasha and Matthew (Nicholas Lea) come in here. They are free spirits - well, to be honest, Natasha is a free spirit, whilst Matthew is trying to be, really trying hard, but failing lamentably. He and Natasha run a Bed and Breakfast, and it has to be the most insalubrious place I've seen in a while. Natasha is in the throes of leaving Matthew after three years of togetherness, and she too sets off for Banff to further her singing career. Tong's wife, April, also sets off for Banff and Matthew hitches a ride... The movie follows the four, as they miss each other by the narrowest of margins as they cross BC. The scenery is beautiful, the mishaps along the way are amusing and the protagonists gradually get to know each other despite being separated by apparently unbridgeable cultural gulfs. Francoise Yip is hilarious as a driven PR assistant who doesn't actually speak Chinese, who gradually comes to appreciate the Irish. Tom Scholte is the offensive young Irish beer executive. Bif Naked is as eccentric as one might imagine, but fun for all that, and she sparks nicely off Sean Lau, whose Tong is a lugubrious chap with a serious nicotine habit. Theresa Lee is convincing as the promoter, April, who sees everything in terms of deadlines, and who finds Nick Lea's Matthew a completely incomprehensible character at the start of their odyssey. There are a lot of mishaps on the way to the rockies, and I won't spoil it for you, but it's a cute, funny movie that is beautifully shot with several scenic set pieces that are quite breathtaking. At the end of the movie, all six of the characters have learned enough about themselves to be tolerant, and therein lies the message. Nick Lea shines. His character attacks things with a barely suppressed fury and frustration that gradually eases through the course of the story. His attempts at meditating are absolutely vibrating with stress. It was hilarious to watch. One of my favourite lines is delivered in exasperation to April as they drive through the Okanagan. "You're in postcard heaven, and you're running a telethon." he says to her in disgust. Go and see it, if you can catch it. You'll be glad that you did. From Sue.

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• Not bad at all, for his first film!

  poroporo2001-11-26

  I had the chance to catch the film during this year's Reel Asian Film Festival in Toronto. If the film were a ride, I'd say I enjoyed the whole ride throughout. Imagine my surprise (and that of the audience) then when, during the Q & A session, I learned this was the director's very first movie. Before this, he hasn't even produced a short. The director did an impressive job pulling the resources together. The contrasts among the actors and the locations (scenic BC and grungy Hong Kong) created an enjoyable experience for the senses. For example, it was hard to imagine the characters played by Sean Lau and Bif Naked would work well together but they did, and with good chemistry. Overall, it was a simple story well-delivered to create a heart-warming film. Among the things worth mentioning, Sean Lau is actually quite a well-known and seasoned actor in Hong Kong. He plays convincingly the wannabe rock star from Hong Kong who is sterotypically lacking in his English skills. Bif Naked is a singer who presumably never acted before and yet she was a natural when playing her colourful character. The following are some other interesting trivia I learned from the Q & A I attended. For the readers' safety, there are no spoilers until the very end where I mark <<SPOILERS>>. <<SPOILERS>>

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