''Crossing Hennessy'' () is a 2010

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

film directed by

Ivy Ho Ivy Ho Sai-Hong (, born 15 August 1958) is a Hong Kong screenwriter and film director. Ho's work has received high critical acclaim in Hong Kong. Perry Lam of ''Muse'' magazine wrote, 'As a writer, Ho excels as a miniaturist. Whether they are ...

. It was filmed from March to May 2009, and stars

Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the "God of Songs", he is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong pop music. Cheung is known for his technically skilled vocals, lengthy tours, and m ...

and

Tang Wei use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

. It is a remake of ''

Crossing Delancey ''Crossing Delancey'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film starring Amy Irving and Peter Riegert. Joan Micklin Silver directed it, drawing upon a play by Susan Sandler, who also wrote the screenplay. The film also features performances from ...

'' (1988). It is a return to film both for Cheung, who has not appeared in a film for several years, and for Tang, who was banned from acting in

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

after appearing in

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

's 2007 ''

Lust, Caution ''Lust, Caution'' () is a 2007 erotic period espionage mystery romance film directed by Ang Lee, based on the 1979 novella by Eileen Chang. ''Lust, Caution'' is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by t ...

''. It is the second film directed by Ho (who began her career as a screenwriter). Other actors in the film include Danny Lee Sau-Yin,

Paw Hee-Ching A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, ...

Maggie Cheung Ho-yee Maggie Cheung Ho-yee (; born 20 March 1969) is a Hong Kong actress. Career Maggie Cheung Ho-yee competed in TVB's 1994 Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant, reaching the final five but not placing. However she did gain a special award for best "po ...

, and

Andy On Andy On () (born May 11, 1977) is an American actor and martial artist. Life and career On was born on May 11, 1977, in Providence, Rhode Island. He is a native of the US, and can speak English, Mandarin, and a bit of Cantonese. Andy On did no ...

. The story mainly takes place around

Hennessy Road Hennessy Road () is a thoroughfare on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It connects Yee Wo Street on the east in Causeway Bay, at the junction with East Point Road, Jardine's Bazaar and Great George Street in East Point, through Bowrington, to ...

, in

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

Causeway Bay Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...

and

Wan Chai Wan Chai is situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to th ...

districts. In May 2009 it was announced that the film would be shown at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. It will also be shown at the 2010

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens around 230 films ...

alongside Clara Law's "Like a Dream" as a kick start for the opening event.

Music and soundtrack

The soundtrack album for ''Crossing Hennessy'' was composed by Anthony Chue. Jacky Cheung sings the theme song Bu Zhi You Yuan 不只有緣 ("Not Only Fate") (" Lucky In Love") over the end credits. The song was written for Cheung by

Roxanne Seeman Roxanne Joy Seeman is an American songwriter and lyricist. She is best known for her songs by Billie Hughes, Philip Bailey, Phil Collins, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, The Sisters of Mercy, The Jacksons, Jacky Cheung, and in ...

and

Daniel Nitt Daniel Nitt is a German recording artist, songwriter, music producer, and composer. Daniel Nitt was born in Pegnitz, Germany and currently resides in Berlin, Germany. Songwriting and film composing career Daniel Nitt co-wrote "不只有緣 (Luck ...

Plot

Loy (

) is a 41-year-old bachelor who lives with his widowed mother (

) and aunt (

Chu Mi-Mi Chu or CHU may refer to: Chinese history * Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty * Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu * Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the H ...

) in

. Loy's mother, disappointed by his bachelorhood, often sets up match-making lunches for him with various girls. On the other side of Hennessy, orphaned Oi Lin (

) lives with and works for her uncle and aunt in a bathroom appliances store on

Lockhart Road Lockhart Road () is a street spanning the whole length of Wan Chai from east to west on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It begins at Arsenal Street in the west and ends in East Point Road in East Point. History The road is named after Si ...

. She is in a relationship with Xu (

), who is in prison. Her uncle, who disapproves of Xu, sets up a match-making lunch for her and Loy. Neither Loy or Oi Lin are attracted to one another, but the families continue to set up meetings for the two. After a few meetings and dates, the two eventually strike up a friendship after discovering a mutual interest in detective stories. Both Loy and Oi Lin's families misunderstand the newfound friendship as romance and begin discussing wedding banquet arrangements. Loy explains to his mother this is not the case, and that Oi Lin has a boyfriend. Annoyed, Loy's mother calls Oi Lin's aunt and yells at her, calling her and her husband cheats. Oi Lin becomes upset with Loy, and breaks off their friendship. During this time she shares a flat with her boyfriend Xu, who has just been released from prison, and Loy gets back together with his ex-girlfriend Man Yu (

). As time passes, Loy and Oi Lin grow increasingly uneasy about their relationships with Man Yu and Xu respectively. Loy tells Man Yu that he is finally in love with someone, but does not know if he is good enough for her. In the meantime, Oi Lin breaks up with Xu. Furious, Xu tracks down Loy and beats him up. Loy, though severely injured and no match for Xu, claims he is the better man because he can make Oi Lin smile. Xu finally understands, and leaves Oi Lin to get on with her life. Loy's mother finally marries her accountant at the

Cotton Tree Drive Cotton Tree Drive () is a road running from Central to Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The road is famous for the Cotton Tree Drive Marriage Registry, a hotspot for marriage registration inside Hong Kong Park. It used to be known as Ka ...

Marriage Registry to everyone's delight. After the wedding, Loy goes to the

Cha Chaan Teng ''Cha chaan teng'' (; "tea restaurant"), often called a Hong Kong-style cafe or diner in English, is a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong. Cha chaan teng are commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Guangdong. Due to the w ...

(where he'd previously had a date with Oi Lin) and finds Oi Lin. He joins her there, and the two enjoy the afternoon together.

Reception

Critics gave generally positive reviews, and Tang Wei in particularly received praise for her work. Perry Lam of ''Muse'' Magazine, for example, comments that Tang 'exudes charisma and star appeal, even in jeans and sneakers, but I have no doubt that she could have stretched her role a lot further if the script had allowed her.'

Awards and nominations

47th

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...

* Nominated: Best Actress (Tang Wei) 17th

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...

*Won: Film of Merit *Won: Best Screenplay (

) * Nominated: Best Film * Nominated: Best Actress (

) 30th Hong Kong Film Awards *Nominated: Best Screenplay (

) *Nominated: Best Actor (Jacky Cheung) *Nominated: Best Actress (

) *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Mimi Chu) *Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Paw Hee-ching) *Nominated: Best New Director (

)

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 1447800 2010 films 2010s Cantonese-language films Hong Kong films Hong Kong remakes of American films