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| DVD cover artwork for the teenage romance comedy film Porky's Meatballs/Zany Campus 鬼馬校園 (1987). |
High School Highjinks by Linh
Porky's Meatballs may be considered to be Hong Kong cinema's equivalent to American teenage rom-coms (romantic comedy), similar to those written and directed by the late John Hughes. This film tackles themes of teenage romance, heartbreak, friendships, revenge, and an emphasis on the importance of a higher education.
However, unlike American teen movies like Porky's and its subsequent sequels, Porky's Meatballs does not depict the misogynistic, bawdy and outrageous sexcapades (sexual escapades) of teenage boys seeking to lose their virginity, perving on naked women through peep-holes in walls, and bedding prostitutes. Porky's Meatballs may have issues of sexuality, gender and social class which underpin the film's storylines but this film is quite cutesy in its sex humour and clever in its use of homonyms.
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| GECKO GAG: Chun (Rachel Lee Lai Chun) comforts Bak Yut Mong (Nnadia Chan Chung Ling) after a lizard revenge prank from their male classmates in the film Porky's Meatballs/Zany Campus 鬼馬校園 (1987). Image: D and B Films. |
Set in 1987 Hong Kong, the film begins with the start of the final high school term at York Chi College, and the college superintendent's son Tse Tin (Stephen Ho Kai Nam) has flunked again and is now in the same class as his younger sister Tse Dai (Sabrina Ho Pui Yee). Twenty seven year old Ng Seng Choi (Yiu Yau Hung), who has been in the same grade for the last five years and deliberately flunks to make money by doing other students' homework for payment, gives his classmate Sung Kar Ming (Timothy Siu Chen Yung) a ride to school in his red convertible, while fellow classmate Bak Yut Mong (Nnadia Chan Chung Ling) waits for the bus. Bak Yut Mong notices a handsome young man staring at her from the balcony of a flat and she develops a crush on him.
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| DAY DREAMER: Bak Yut Mong (Nnadia Chan Chung Ling) is a romantic who falls in love with a dummy in the film Porky's Meatballs/Zany Campus 鬼馬校園 (1987). Image: D and B Films. |
Meanwhile, Chun (Rachel Lee Lai Chun), the most popular girl in school, is still on holidays in Hawaii and she meets university student Tai Wan Ho (Chan San Ho) who falls in love with her after one date together. When Chun returns to Hong Kong, he follows her and even enrols in the same class to be with her. Tse Tin grows jealous of Tai Wan Ho and plots with Ng Seng Choi to break up the pair, but he soon realises Chun is interested in her P.E. teacher (Russell Wong Seng Dat). After discovering the handsome man on the balcony is not "real", Bak Yut Mong is devastated and embarrassed, but does not realise Sung Kar Ming has a crush on her.
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| AMBIGUOUS AUTHORITY: Principal Wu (Teddy Yip Wing Cho) has ethical discrepancies and questionable morals but he cares about his students and their education in the film Porky's Meatballs/Zany Campus 鬼馬校園 (1987). Image: D and B Films. |
The various crushes and romances are tested as a gender war between the students turn the basketball match between York Chi College and rival San Dong College into a riot. As a result, the college superintendent demotes Principal Wu (Teddy Yip Wing Cho) to student co-ordinator and hires a former army general (Guk Fung) and a team of top educators to discipline the students. The students respond to the conservative regime of their new Principal and teachers by pulling pranks, cheating on exams and plotting to get rid of them to bring back Principal Wu.
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| DEVIOUS DISGUISE: Ng Seng Choi (Yiu Yau Hung) and Tse Tin (Stephen Ho Kai Nam) at their Star Wars themed high school ball in the film Porky's Meatballs/Zany Campus 鬼馬校園 (1987). Image: D and B Films. |
Porky's Meatballs is a light-hearted and fun teenage comedy romance with many cultural references to Hong Kong and American films, television series and celebrities. However, it is still accessible and comprehensible for non-Asian viewers as the themes are universal. The characters' names in the film are quite funny if using the literal Chinese translations; for example, Tse Tin is "thank heaven" while his younger sister Tse Dai is "thank earth", Ng Seng Choi is "never get rich" yet he makes so much money, and Bak Yut Mong is "day dream" which is what she does most of the time. The songs featured in the film are upbeat, breezy, pop rock numbers sung by upcoming artists at the time, Nnadia Chan Chung Ling and Chan San Ho, who also star in the film.
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| SWEET SEDUCTION: Tse Dai (Sabrina Ho Pui Yee) attempts to seduce a male student from a rival college for a revenge prank in the film Porky's Meatballs/Zany Campus 鬼馬校園 (1987). Image: D and B Films. |
Director: Clifton Ko Chi Sum
Writers: Clifton Ko Chi Sum, Joe Ma Wai Ho
Cast: Nnadia Chan Chung Ling, Teddy Yip Wing Cho, Rachel Lee Lai Chun, Stephen Ho Kai Nam, Sabrina Ho Pui Yee, Guk Fung, Chan San Ho,Timothy Siu,Yiu Yau Hung, Lam Chung, Russell Wong Seng Dat, Law Kam Fai, Wong Hung, Cheung Yuen Wah, Chiao Chiao
Producers: Linda Kuk Mei Lai, Dickson Poon Kik Sun
Cinematographers: Ardy Lam Gok Wah, Derek Wan Man Kit
Music Composer: Richard Yuen Cheuk Fan
Film Editor: Cheung Kwok Kuen
Production Designer: Jason Mok Siu Kei
Language: Cantonese with English subtitles
Running Time: 1 hour and 37 minutes
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