WHEN I LOOK UPON THE STARS (1999) Directed By Dante Lam Chiu-yin Starring: Leo Koo Kui-kei, Shu Qi (Hsu Chi), Sam Lee Chan-sam, Anita Chan Wing-yin, Eric Tsang Chi-wai, Kitty Yuen

Hardworking company man Kei (Leo Koo) travels to Japan to reunite with his girlfriend June (Anita Chan), only to discover that in the six months they've been apart, June has fallen in love with Kei's womanizing friend Sam (Sam Lee), whom Kei had instructed to watch over his future wife. Heartbroken and feeling betrayed, Kei tries to come to terms with his bad fortune, but can't seem to get over the fact that all of his well-laid plans have turned to dust. Enter "Kiki" (Shu Qi), a relentlessly perky and spontaneous coffee-shop employee/aspiring model who tries to get Kei out of his severe funk by proposing a 24-hour "date" in which the two will spend a day out on the town while pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend. When the day is over, Kei can return to Hong Kong with no strings attached.

A modest but highly agreeable romantic comedy from producer Gordon Chan and up-and-coming director Dante Lam (Beast Cops, Jiang Hu: The Triad Zone), When I Look Upon the Stars is rather banal and predictable in concept but revitalizes itself every so often through Lam's playful filmmaking, which throws in the odd flashback, freeze frame or jumpcut to underline the story's emotional undercurrents. While this technique (combined with the film's modest budget) at times resembles that of a student filmmaker who is all too eager to show off his bag of tricks, Lam tones down the gimmicks long enough to let a palpable sense of anguish permeate through the storyline while also allowing his performers ample room to shine. Sam Lee is amusingly loud and abrasive in his usual manner while Leo Koo travels the opposite end of the spectrum with a low-key but appealingly self-effacing performance that recalls his work in Task Force. The trump card though is Shu Qi, who dominates the second half of the film with her two-mile-wide lips and the type of unrestrained comical cuteness that once made Anita Yuen a star. While Shu seems to have been given free rein by Lam to ham it up to her heart's content (and who can really blame the guy?), her instincts are more often right than wrong and it's her thoroughly energetic presence that breathes much needed life into what could have been a very bland comedy. Needless to say, if you belong to the ranks of those who can't stand Shu Qi then this film is probably a pass. The rest of us can gaze upon a star in the making.

DVD Specs:

Mei Ah DVD
Removable English Subs
Trailers: When I Look Upon the Stars; Zhou Enlai
Data Bank (Brief synopsis; cast and crew listing)