Yesterday Once More (2004)

Delightful

This delightful movie in the vein on Remington Steele and Moonlighting is brimming with lighthearted humor and clever action. Far more entertaining and accessible than the dreadful Mr and Mrs Smith. Haven't seen a film from Hong Kong this polished since John Woo's The Killer. Recommended. September 9, 2007

Not A Very Enjoyable Asian Romantic Comedy!

Director Johnny To has done much better films. I am always on the lookout for good Asian comedies, be they romantic, horror, samurai, action, or whatever. There are too few Asian comedies that get to the USA, and many that I have in my collection have been through happenstance. This is not one of them. I originally purchased the film because a neighbor of mine who watched it told me that "Yesterday Once More," was a good romantic comedy; however, it is not a good comedy or a very enjoyable one. That is not to say that others will not find something in the film that will appeal to them. As for me, this is one film that will be collecting dust in my garage.

It's not that this is a bad comedy, its just that it is not a very good one. The film has been described here at length by a few reviewers, therefore, I will not rehash what has already been written. But there are a few observations I would like to comment on about this particular film. The first one is that I never thought the premise of the film was very good: Two divorced kleptomaniacs still going about their stealing, while still having a secret love for each other. Further, Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng just don't seem to mesh very well in this particular film. Certainly not like their film "Needing You."

Plus, I thought it was silly to have the character Steve, who portrays a mamma's boy, in the film. I did not find his or his mothers antics funny at all. NO, this was not an enjoyable film. At least to me. Plus, the film is all over the place. The viewer gets location shots from Italy, to HK. There is never any comedic suspense in the film either. If you're going to do a film which is both a comedic action film where stealing is one of the main themes, then make the action good and the comedic elements funny! This film had neither good action, nor laugh out loud funniness. I believe comedy is a personal thing---what may make me laugh may not necessarily make you laugh, and vice-versa. Therefore, while I do not recommend the film, you must make your own decision. For me, the film was not good. September 1, 2007

(2.5 STARS) Mr. & Mrs. Thief and the Game of Love: Slightly Disappointing Romance from Johnnie To

`Yesterday Once More' is a romantic film about two professional thieves, Mr. To and Mrs. To (Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng) and the ever-changing love/hate relations between the lovers playing the game of love through stealing. Prolific director Johnnie To, usually known for stylish action films, gives us a romance about two lovers holding wine glasses, which re-unites the stars of `Needing You.' I found `Yesterday Once More' is a little disappointing because of its weak script, but it still has some good things in it.

Two years after the divorce with Mr. To over an `unfair' deal about stolen diamonds, we see gorgeous Mrs. To is about to jilt a rich mama's boy Steve. Steve offers an expensive necklace of his mother to her to be with her. She accepts his offer, and promises to marry him, but Mr. To, who hates the idea of her marrying again, steals the heirloom before she fakes a theft of it. Mrs. To knows exactly who did that, and Mr. and Mrs. To meet again and begin another game of love, loving or deceiving each other.

With whatever genre of film you might associate Johnnie To, it is clear that `Yesterday Once More' is not his best. The chemistry between Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng is there, but is not fully used, partly because we are not allowed to know much about the characters, or partly because their story is told in a very whimsical way. The director insists on the old-fashioned Hollywood-type glamour with the location of Italy, cars, furniture, wine, and race track, but they don't enhance the romantic mood of the two main leads who are themselves good, if not best. To make matters worse, the caper stories of the film are only rudimentary, nothing interesting except the last one.

In the second half of the film, the story (with a surprise or two) suddenly takes on a new and sadder look. It was not until then that the film starts to show the subtlety of the complicated relations between the man and woman. The last intricate con-game played by them represents the nature of their love effectively, but by then the film is nearly over.

Like Miike Takashi, another Asian talent, Johnnie To may be too prolific a director, making three or even four films in a year. As fan of his films, I'm not particularly against his making so many films, but as far as romantic films go, things are different. They need more sophisticated story, and such a story (or script) is hard to find. I don't say this is bad, but if you like the stars or the director, I'd rather recommend `Needing You.'
February 23, 2006

Love Stuff

"Yesterday Once More" is a film that I really liked. Hong Kong director Johnny To gives Andy Lau the chance to perform in an amazing role and performance. Lau has starred in over 60 films and probably should be a household name in the U.S. too. I really enjoyed "Fulltime Killer," and this film gives him a chance to show quite a different side of his acting talents. He starts as a kind of double-o-seven rich playboy who steals for kicks. Highly intelligent, he pulls a rich heist with his wife who apparently tries to double-deal him. He divorces her but does not stop loving her. As Mrs. Do, Sammi Cheung is an attractive vivacious, somewhat emotionally vacuous, playgirl thief. When she announces her engagement to Steve, a deadheaded young man in search of a personality, she does so just to steal the family jewels -- and we're talking diamonds. This brings her ex-husband Andy Lau into play that devises an elaborate heist, all done with the objective of finding out whether his wife really loves him. What I most connected with in the film is the tremendous sense of love that the husband conveys for his wife, amidst a menagerie of entertainingly wild characters and absurd plot points about thieves. Watch the film for the 007 motif, enjoy its comedy, but ultimately prepare for the emotional wallop of some great love stuff. This is kind of like the Hong Kong version of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Enjoy! January 11, 2006

Horrible - don't waste your time or money

It is hard to sympathize or relate to any of the characters in this movie. All of them are so stereotypical. Mrs. Do (the character played by Hong Kong singer/actress Sammy Cheung) reminds me a little of Scarlett O'Hara: pretty, rich, spoiled rotten, whiny, trampling over all the men in her life until she loses the one she loves ... with the difference that while Scarlett eventually changed her ways, Mrs. Do never did. Then, there are the other stereotypes: the scary mother-in-law-to-be, the momma's boy (Steve), the gay detectives, the rich enigmatic tycoon (Mr. Do). Watch this movie only for a glimpse into how the rich in Hong Kong live and some nice background of the city itself. For anything else, don't bother. Completely unsatisfying as a movie and with annoying characters to boot. August 1, 2005

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