Super Fans (2007) Movie Review

“Super Fans” again shows Hong Kong cinema’s uncanny knack for tapping into current issues by dealing with obsessive admirers of pop culture figures, something which has of late been causing problems for a variety of stars, notably poor Andy Lau. Needless to say, the concept is here played out by director Eric Kot (who actually used to be a member of a boy band some years back himself, and so should know what he is talking about) mainly for madcap laughs, though supposedly at the same time mixed in with telling social commentary.

The film follows Sussie (Charlene Choi, one half of Twins), a self confessed super fan obsessed with smarmy pop singer Sum (Sammy, recently in “Kung Fu Mahjong 3″) who is willing to do anything for her idol, even going so far as to sabotage the act of his rival Yee (TV star Kevin Cheng) during an awards ceremony. Followed slavishly by her postman pal Shui (Leo Koo), a poor guy obviously suffering from a painful case of unrequited love, Sussie wins a job as Sum’s new assistant, only to come face to face with some of his less than savoury qualities. Disillusioned and after a brief bout of self-reflection, she decides to switch her allegiance to Yee and tries to help him take revenge.

Although the plot is predictable, button pushing stuff, “Super Fans” certainly tackles some interesting and pertinent subject matter, such as the outlandish behaviour of infatuated devotees, the duplicity of celebrity and the intrusiveness of the media — all of which offer the opportunity for a biting slice of satire. Sadly, director Kot seems strangely uninterested in such things and is blithely content to skim the surface, never going far enough in depicting either the crazy acts of obsessed stalkers or the bad behaviour of supposedly chaste popstars. Indeed, the film has a weirdly innocent air, dismissing idol worship as merely ’silly’ and glossing over indiscretions, including Sum’s wholly unsurprising attempt to molest Sussie, and some bizarre suggestions of kinky sex. As a result, the film is only mildly cynical and vaguely snide, boasting but a few moments of insight, something which is a little disappointing given the potential offered by the themes.

Kot’s blind refusal to explore the psychology of the super fan also undermines the film’s subplot, which revolves around the supposedly burgeoning relationship between Sussie and Shui. This is a pairing which never really convinces, since it is hard to imagine why Shui would feel such tail wagging puppy love for a girl who consistently treats him as a whipping boy, and who harps on endlessly about another man. Whilst this does seem to suggest some stalker tendencies in Shui himself, again this is never examined in any detail, and as a result the film’s sudden lurch into romance feels tacked on.

Of course, it is somewhat pointless to criticise a film like “Super Fans” for lacking in substance since its raison d’être is obviously wackiness rather than depth, and on this score it does succeed. Most of the jokes revolve around the two singers themselves, especially the preening, posturing sleazebag Sum, whose dirty trick campaign is amusingly inventive. Yee on the other hand is a blandly earnest, unintentionally amusing fellow, always seeming to be on the verge of tears and constantly chanting his mantra that he will continue to sing as long as he has at least one fan. The film portrays him as possibly the most open and least security conscious star in Hong Kong, since Sussie is literally able to walk into his house off the street to win him over with some bean soup and dumplings.

Incompetent idols aside, Kot manages to work in plenty of embarrassment gags in the usual Hong Kong style, many of which verge on the surreal, in particular the repeated use of speeded up film, something which gives the proceedings occasional though welcome bursts of manic energy. It certainly helps that all concerned give game, dignity free performances, adding to the overall sense of harmless fun. Certainly, “Super Fans” works better as screwball comedy than expose, never attaining the same level of awareness or wit as Daniel Wu’s hilarious “Heavenly Kings”, which covered some similar ground. However, “Super Fans” is certainly entertaining enough in its own modest fashion, with a decent number of gags and an appealing cast, and as such ticks all the right boxes and delivers exactly as expected for the intended audience.

Eric Kot (director) / Mau-yin Chan, Jing Wong (screenplay)
CAST: Charlene Choi … Susi
Leo Ku … Water
Kevin Cheng … Yan
Sammy Leung … Sampson
Shiu Hung Hui … God
Vincent Wong … Lam Yu
Eric Kot … So Sik
Jing Wang … Xiao Li
Steven Cheung … So Ha