Anyone who has seen those reality cooking shows in the vein of Iron Chef will be familiar with their dramatic camera compositions and movements, their exaggerated sound effects and the over-excited running commentary that provides an intensity like a sporting match. In Stephen Chow's The God of Cookery, it takes this spoof to the utter heights of absurdism and then some. In a mock competition under the heavens for the title of God of Cookery itself, Chow dresses as a divine judge who crushes each entrant with the most ridiculous criticisms ever. There is one chef who has even carved a delicate figurine of Buddha out of tofu, but it's declared too cold to eat. And for the crafty final entrant whom has planned ahead for the dismissive God's comments, he finds himself attacked for his ugly looks. This and the moment where the nose-picking cross dresser presents him with flowers are comedic tropes that Chow does not shy away from, and although they may be somewhat low-brow, you can't help but laugh.
Chow has captured the tone of these reality shows very well. His cutting is thick and furious and dramatic, made even funnier by the shocked and gasping reactions from each of the characters involved. The sound effects heighten each blow to their melodramatic high - the whooshes and dings like they are competing in a high stakes game show. When Chow insultingly asks the undercover Bull Tong to prove his loyalty, the scene is shot like with an absurd flourish as he drops his pants, spins around and prepares his roll of toilet paper (which he just so happens to have on hand). The slow-motion and overexposed lighting give each of these scenes a soft, warm glow like a photographer shooting a plate of food for a magazine - only Chow does it with every single ridiculous occasion. And when Bull exposes him for the fraud he is, and demonstrates true cooking ability, it is like he is playing a game of Fruit Ninja...only this was years beforehand, with the exaggerated ingredients flying in motion and the rapid swishes of the knife.
Chow knows how to milk every last scene for all its comedic potential. When he first unveils the new combined super food Pissing Beef Balls, the others are hesitant of its potency, until they try it out for themselves, and the waterfall of juice that erupts like a volcano is shot from a flurry of different angles and the eater gets consumed by a prancing daydream. This precedent is then extended as each new customer tries them out to hilarious effect. These are people who take their food seriously - no doubt evident by the gang warfare trope that is seamlessly and super seriously applied here (and there is even a The Usual Suspects reference in the mock-up line). The villains will do anything to stop Chow - even arrange his restaurant branch locations to spell die - something that is then reversed upon them. They've even bribed the judge of the final tournament - played hilariously by Nancy Sit as she gives running commentary to the food fight ("Good folding chair") and then has an orgasmic reaction to a simple char siu and rice. And as Chow nearly always does - there is a kung fu element to the way he glides on top of water and into the building for a late dramatic entrance. Nothing is off limits in God of Cookery - it reminds me of another food comedy, Tampopo, where the culinary arts was treated just as seriously. The main romantic storyline here is perhaps a bit cheesy, lacking the depth of say, Kung Fu Hustle, and the subtitles are iffy at times...but you will never once doubt your laughter.
Chow has captured the tone of these reality shows very well. His cutting is thick and furious and dramatic, made even funnier by the shocked and gasping reactions from each of the characters involved. The sound effects heighten each blow to their melodramatic high - the whooshes and dings like they are competing in a high stakes game show. When Chow insultingly asks the undercover Bull Tong to prove his loyalty, the scene is shot like with an absurd flourish as he drops his pants, spins around and prepares his roll of toilet paper (which he just so happens to have on hand). The slow-motion and overexposed lighting give each of these scenes a soft, warm glow like a photographer shooting a plate of food for a magazine - only Chow does it with every single ridiculous occasion. And when Bull exposes him for the fraud he is, and demonstrates true cooking ability, it is like he is playing a game of Fruit Ninja...only this was years beforehand, with the exaggerated ingredients flying in motion and the rapid swishes of the knife.
Chow knows how to milk every last scene for all its comedic potential. When he first unveils the new combined super food Pissing Beef Balls, the others are hesitant of its potency, until they try it out for themselves, and the waterfall of juice that erupts like a volcano is shot from a flurry of different angles and the eater gets consumed by a prancing daydream. This precedent is then extended as each new customer tries them out to hilarious effect. These are people who take their food seriously - no doubt evident by the gang warfare trope that is seamlessly and super seriously applied here (and there is even a The Usual Suspects reference in the mock-up line). The villains will do anything to stop Chow - even arrange his restaurant branch locations to spell die - something that is then reversed upon them. They've even bribed the judge of the final tournament - played hilariously by Nancy Sit as she gives running commentary to the food fight ("Good folding chair") and then has an orgasmic reaction to a simple char siu and rice. And as Chow nearly always does - there is a kung fu element to the way he glides on top of water and into the building for a late dramatic entrance. Nothing is off limits in God of Cookery - it reminds me of another food comedy, Tampopo, where the culinary arts was treated just as seriously. The main romantic storyline here is perhaps a bit cheesy, lacking the depth of say, Kung Fu Hustle, and the subtitles are iffy at times...but you will never once doubt your laughter.