Table for Six (Chinese: 飯戲攻心; lit: Heart Attack) is a 2022 Hong Kong comedy film written and directed by Sunny Chan. It was written as a sequel to the 2015 short film Table for Three.[3] The film is centered around the classical Chinese motifs of shared meals and dysfunctional family ties. It was initially scheduled to be released on 1 February 2022, the first day of the Lunar New Year, but it was postponed until 8 September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
| Table for Six | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 飯戲攻心 |
| Simplified Chinese | 饭戏攻心 |
| Literal meaning | The Rice Scene Attacking the Heart |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Fàn xì gōngxīn |
| Jyutping | Faan6 hei3 gung1 sam1 |
| Directed by | Sunny Chan |
| Written by | Sunny Chan |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Meteory Cheung Yu-Hon |
| Edited by |
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| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Anle Videos |
Release dates |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | est. HK$74.54 million (US$9.59 million)[1][2] |
It was selected at the 24th edition of the Far East Film Festival held from 22 April 2022 to 30 April 2022, where it had its world premiere and its nomination for Best Screenplay Award.[6][7] Later it was also invited to the 21st New York Asian Film Festival in the crowd pleasures section, where it had its North American premiere on 23 July.[8]
A thematic sequel to the film, Table For Six 2, was released on 9 February 2024 during Chinese New Year's Eve.
Synopsis
editIn the comedy, three brothers reside in a home that they have inherited from their late parents. The eldest brother, Steve, is theoretically the man of the house but is constantly criticised by his two younger brothers, Bernard and Lung, for his decisions, the inedible meals he cooks, and his complicated romantic encounters. To prepare for a family reunion dinner, Steve seeks the help of Lung’s girlfriend, Josephine, and wins back their hearts for a while, until Monica, his former lover and Bernard’s new girlfriend, shows up. The unexpected visit of "Meow", a web idol and Steve’s part-time girlfriend, further escalates the siblings' conflict.[9]
Cast
edit- Dayo Wong as Chen Hong
- Stephy Tang as Monica
- Louis Cheung as Chen Li
- Ivana Wong as Josephine
- Lin Min Chen as Ah Meow
- Peter Chan as Chen Xi
- Fish Liew as the unnamed mother of Chen Li and Chen Xi
- Rik Ching as Esports teammate
In addition to the main cast, Louis Koo, Kenny Wong, Jennifer Yu, Tony Wu, Louise Wong, Philip Keung, Locker Lam, Ansonbean, Ng Siu Hin and Ling Man-lung make cameo appearances in a promotional easter egg.[10]
Release
editThe film was initially planned to be released on 1 February 2022 but was postponed until 8 September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was selected at the 24th edition of Far East Film Festival held from 22 April 2022 to 30 April 2022.[6][7]
It was invited at the 21st New York Asian Film Festival, where it was screened at Asia Society on July 23 for its North American premiere.[8][9]
Reception
editBox office
editTable for Six has grossed a total of US$19.75 million worldwide combining its box office gross from Hong Kong (US$5.53),[11] and China (US$15.79 million).[12]
As of 25 September 2022[update] the film is the second highest-grossing, Hong Kong-produced film released in the year 2022 with gross of HK$42,961,378.[1]
In the five weeks since the opening of the film, the cumulative box office exceeded 74.54 million Hong Kong dollars, breaking the box office record of Anita of 62.52 million, becoming the No. 3 highest-grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong. [13]
Critical response
editTara Judah of Screen Daily reviewing the film for Far East Film Festival stated that "Sunny Chan serves up a light-hearted, soft-boiled comedy about misguided romance." Concluding Judah wrote, "Chan plays every narrative beat for laughs. While this approach makes the film easy to digest, it also means it misses out on the emotional payoff that comes with slightly higher – or at least somewhat consequential – stakes."[14]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 24th Udine Far East Film Festival | Best Screenplay Award | Table for Six | Nominated | [4][15] |
| 2023 | Hong Kong Film Award | Best Director | Sunny Chan | Nominated | [16][17] |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Louis Cheung | Nominated | |||
| Peter Chan | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ivana Wong | Won | |||
| Lin Min Chen | Nominated | ||||
| Best Editing | Cheung Ka Fai, Cheng Wai Lun | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Irving Cheung, Leung Tsz Yin | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Film Score | Alan Wong Ngai Lun, Janet Yung Wai Ying | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Film Song | "I love you so much" Composer & Vocal Artist：Ivana Wong Lyricist：Sunny Chan |
Nominated | |||
| Best New Director | Sunny Chan | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b "Hong Kong Weekly Box Office: 19 - 25 September 2022 Box Office". HKTDC (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 4 October 2022.
- ^ "Table for Six (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.
- ^ "飯戲攻心︱黃子華為爭鄧麗欣 與張繼聰唇槍舌劍" [Table for Six]. Ming Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 5 January 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b "飯戲攻心丨鄧麗欣赴烏甸尼遠東電影節 黃子華拍片送行求「土產」" [Table for Six | Stephy Tang went to the Udine Far East Film Festival and Huang Zihua to send off a film to ask for "native products"]. Headline Daily (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 23 April 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "还是觉得你最好: 飯戲攻心（2022）" [Table for Six (2022)]. Douban. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Far East Film Festival 24, Table for Six; 飯戲攻心 (Faahn hei gung sam)". Far East Film Festival 24 (in Korean). 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b Michael Rosser (12 April 2022). "Udine's Far East Film Festival reveals 2022 line-up, 13 world premieres". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ a b Michael Rosser (30 June 2022). "New York Asian Film Festival reveals Screen honourees and full line-up". Screen Daily. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ a b "New York Asian Film Festival 2022, Table for Six - 飯戲攻心". New York Asian Film Festival. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "《飯戲攻心》爆彩蛋 王菀之喜獲古天樂熊抱 情深對望". Mingpao. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Detective vs Sleuths - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "China Daily Box Office (11/09/2022)".
- ^ "飯戲攻心｜打入史上最賣座華語片三甲 總票房追貼《明日戰記》". am730. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ Tara Judah (29 April 2022). "'Table For Six': Udine Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "FEFF24: ALL THE AWARDS OF THE FESTIVAL!". Far East Film Festival. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Soriano, Jainne (9 February 2023). "Hong Kong Film Awards 2023: Here is the full list of nominees". Lifestyle Asia. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ "Nomination List of The 41st Hong Kong Film Awards". Hong Kong Film Awards. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
External links
edit- Table for Six on Facebook
- Table for Six on Instagram
- Table for Six at IMDb
- Table for Six at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
- Table for Six at Douban (in Chinese)
- Table for Six at Rotten Tomatoes
