Shaolin Soccer

So I've been thinking. I think that one core difference between dramedies and full-blown comedies, especially screwball comedies, has to do with the change. Let me clarify. A movie tells a story. A story worth telling is about change. Something changes. That's what makes the story worth telling. In a dramedy, a la Judd Apatow, the characters grow and change to better fit the world around them. It is a good and fun movie. In screwball comedies, the world changes to better fit the characters. They're also fun first, and only good if you're lucky. Anyone who has seen Shaolin Soccer is lucky. I saw it earlier in the week and it's quickly becoming a favorite of mine. The characters don't change that much, really. The main character wants Kung Fu to be more widespread. He sees several ways to apply it in many different everyday jobs. Some of his ideas are ridiculous, like applying Kung Fu to music. When he settles on applying it to soccer, with the help of a washed-up legend (reminiscent of Dodgeball in that regard, actually), the world changes around him. It's silly and screwball but awesome.

The mastermind behind this movie is Stephen Chow. He also did Kung Fu Hustle which was a silly kung fu western type movie or something. It was alright. I think my biggest issue with that movie was I couldn't relate to Chow's character because he was such a jerk. Then he had the metamorphosis and was Superman. Neither one was totally relatable so I didn't get too invested. It was fun and all, but this movie's better.

My only gripe is about the romantic tension in the movie. I was never clear on whether or not the two were actually romantic or platonic, and evidently they weren't either. But the end seemed kind of slap-dash because of it. On the other hand, I'm glad they didn't sacrifice levity at the altar of romantic tension. That horrible, horrible altar.

It may be more fun than good, but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie. It's a fantastic movie and worth your time. If you're in the mood for something silly, rent Shaolin Soccer. It might not suck.