Oh, the 80’s. What a wonderful time for Hong Kong cinema. In this decade, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung made some of their most popular films, the HK Film Awards were introduced, and Donnie Yen made his film debut in Drunken Tai Chi. Donnie’s first few films were directed by Yuen Woo Ping and it’s surprising that he continued to work with him ever again. A few classic films had come from the duo in the 80’s, including Tiger Cage and In the Line of Duty 4, but I don’t a whole lot of people would consider Mismatched Couples one of those classics.
Donnie Yen is a talented dude. He’s a martial artist, actor, director, writer, producer, and action choreographer, but this movie shows that he can also breakdance. But this is far from one of his greatest achievements (and it’s also far from his worst somehow).
Donnie Yen is a talented dude. He’s a martial artist, actor, director, writer, producer, and action choreographer, but this movie shows that he can also breakdance. But this is far from one of his greatest achievements (and it’s also far from his worst somehow).
Donnie Yen stars as Eddie, an eccentric breakdancer, who goes on hijinks with his martial artist friend, Mini (Yuen Woo Ping). Eddie has problems with his friend, Stella (May Lo), and is continually at odds with a rival breakdancer, Kenny. A fighting champion played by Dick Wei notices Eddie’s supposed strength and challenges him to a duel. Looking back, this movie doesn’t have much of a story.
Mismatched Couples is one of those films that is drenched in the 80’s. It features the dated outfits, music, and obnoxious acting. But still, I think that stuff like this is very entertaining. A lot of fun can be had with this movie, but you’ll need a certain love for the 80’s so you won’t kill yourself watching this. Most scenes in the film are incredibly stupid and can even be considered annoying, but they can be totally tolerable and even enjoyable for the right audience. If you liked the Aces Go Places film series or other cheesy treasures like The Karate Kid, then you should be well on your way.
Mismatched Couples is one of those films that is drenched in the 80’s. It features the dated outfits, music, and obnoxious acting. But still, I think that stuff like this is very entertaining. A lot of fun can be had with this movie, but you’ll need a certain love for the 80’s so you won’t kill yourself watching this. Most scenes in the film are incredibly stupid and can even be considered annoying, but they can be totally tolerable and even enjoyable for the right audience. If you liked the Aces Go Places film series or other cheesy treasures like The Karate Kid, then you should be well on your way.
Donnie Yen is perhaps the best performer in this movie. It’s fun to see such a badass like Donnie Yen wearing pink and making silly faces. He’s a riot in this movie and this one of those few times where his overacting is appropriate. It’s also nice to note that he certainly seems to know how to breakdance. Watching Yuen Woo Ping in one of his few starring roles is also noteworthy. You would imagine that the pairing of Donnie Yen and Yuen Woo Ping would always result in an amazing action movie, but unfortunately there’s only one fight scene in the whole movie.
The finale features Dick Wei trying to beat the crap out of Donnie Yen and it suffices as a fun climax, but it’s kind of disappointing how Dick Wei is defeated so easily and how they didn’t combine fighting with breakdance. Seeing Donnie Yen defeat Dick Wei with his breakdancing skills would’ve been great, but the subsequent fight is still a joy to watch. This movie is primarily full of breakdancing scenes and dated music from beginning to end. A lot of these scenes feature some creative choreography and they’re so full of energy.
The finale features Dick Wei trying to beat the crap out of Donnie Yen and it suffices as a fun climax, but it’s kind of disappointing how Dick Wei is defeated so easily and how they didn’t combine fighting with breakdance. Seeing Donnie Yen defeat Dick Wei with his breakdancing skills would’ve been great, but the subsequent fight is still a joy to watch. This movie is primarily full of breakdancing scenes and dated music from beginning to end. A lot of these scenes feature some creative choreography and they’re so full of energy.
Mismatched Couples certainly isn’t a film to be proud of. If I had anything to do with it, I’d be mortified. But Mismatched Couples is somehow such an entertaining film. It’s cringeworthy and dated, but it’s a lot of fun (if you can take it). Just by watching the first few minutes, or even by looking at the poster, you should be able to tell if you’re going to like it or not. Mismatched Couples has a recipe for disaster, but it qualifies as energetic 80’s fluff.
Images from HK Cinemagic and f-hd.ru
Images from HK Cinemagic and f-hd.ru