Ning meng ke le (1982) User Reviews

Shaw Brothers romantic comedy with musical interludes

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 8 October 2017]

The 1980s saw the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers studio suffering from declining box office receipts in the face of stiff competition, a factor which saw them branching out into genres other than their standard martial arts fare. TEENAGE DREAMERS is a romantic comedy which follows a slightly insipid and cheesy high school romance between a teenage girl and the love of her life, noted actor and musician Leslie Cheung. What follows is fully sentimental and full of cheesy romantic melodies, as well as all of the usual fashions and hairdos of the early 1980s. There is a little grit in the coming-of-age subtext, and that traditional Shaw downbeat ending, but overall this is a forgettable fluff piece.

Shaw Brothers Classics: Teenage Dreamers

[Captain_Couth · 8/10 · 26 June 2004]

Teenage Dreamers (1982) was a romantic comedy that was produced by the Shaw Brothers during the waning days of their production period. A change in the direction of the company was needed so they decided to enter the fray of making films geared towards a younger audience. Chou Hsiu-Lan plays Ting-Ting, a teenage girl who's starting to get interested in love and romance. Teenage pop star Rowena Cortes co-stars as Shan-Shan one of her best friends, she's a rich girl who has a streak of larceny within her (she also sings about half the songs on the soundtrack and performers a musical number on the beach). Rising pop star Leslie Cheung also co-stars as Jackson Chen a student who's directing the school production of Romero and Juliet. During the pre-production, Ting-Ting develops a crush on Jackson. Will it lead into romance?

Essentially this is a vehicle for the young stars Leslie Cheung and Chou Hsiu-Lan. The producers also capitalize on the popularity of Rowena Cortes. Leslie Cheung also performs several songs on the soundtrack as well. If you love sappy melodramatic teen films, then this one's definitely for you. A tale about a coming of age for young teenage girls who find out the meaning of true love and the disappointments one learns. A recommended if you're a fan of Leslie Cheung and Rowena Cortes (check out her earlier star vehicle Follow The Star). Watch out, Rowena's songs are very catchy!!

Highly recommended.