La Brassiere   (2001) 

                                                                                           Chinastar | One Hundred Years of Film Co.

                                                                   

                                                   Cast: Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo, Gigi Leung, Carina Lau, Lee San San, 

                                                                Chikako Aoyama, Rosemary Vandenbroucke

                                                   Cameo: Patrick Tam, Jo Kuk, Stephen Fung, Karen Mok

                                                                              Director: Patrick Leung

                                                                               Genre: Romantic Comedy

 

                                                                              "Bras are for women, but we wear them for men's sake."

 

                                                    

                               Without a doubt, LA BRASSIERE is the best movie about bras that I've ever seen!

                                             In fact, you could say that it has "spoiled" me for all bra movies.

                                                                    

                                Louis Koo and Lau Ching Wan play two men who are hired as bra designers at the

                                  insistence of the President of a major brassiere company (Chikako Aoyama).

                              Their entrance into the ultra-feminine offices (entirely employed by young women)

                               is played out like a Western, with the two dapper dudes flashing looks at the girls 

                               like old fashioned gunfighters. "How many did you "kill" ", asks Lau afterwards, who  

                           plays 'Johnny'. "All but one", replies the smoothly tanned 'Wayne', played by Louis Koo.  

                                                                                  John Wayne, get it?                                

              

                                                    

 

                               Wayne and Johnny have a job to do: design "The Ultimate Bra".  The only things is,

                              (1) their experience is in designing men's briefs and (2) they're fellas. Add to that

                                   the natural skepticism of their female peers, and you've got yourself a movie.

                                It moves around at a comfortable pace in the offices of the bra company's Hong 

                                Kong highrise headquarters, a pastel colored sanctuary and embodiment of male

                             fantasy.  Lau and Koo are veritable Babes in Braland. As Lau Ching Wan's character

                                                                    Wayne likes to repeat: "So good".

                            They develop office relationships with Lena (Gigi Leung), who refuses to accept that

                             the input of men could possibly be of any use in designing women's undergarments;

                               and senior employee Samantha (Carina Lau). Their insights into women develop as

                                 they work on the bra. To fully understand what women feel, they're eventually 

                                                                  challenged to try on bras themselves. 

                              These sequences are some of the film's funniest moments.  In particular, the scene

                                  where the two men try on bras in front of the entire office is an instant classic.

                             Actually it was a "NG" (no good) take that was used, Lau and Koo breaking up while 

                           people offscreen giggle at the ridiculous sight. (This was a fresh idea but could inspire 

                               a dangerous trend if HK films follow suit by relying on outtakes to carry a movie).         

 

                                              

 

                             The production, camerawork and art direction are all top notch, maintaining a very

                              colorful and breezy atmosphere to go with its lighthearted tone. My major quarrel  

                              is with the flat characters. Since I didn't connect with them, the romantic pairings 

                               of Gigi/Louis and Lau/Carina had no real chemistry for me. Interesting that there 

                                 are 2 references to Lau Ching Wan's "darkness", even though Louis Koo is fast

                                  becoming the HK George Hamilton. And in a movie filled with beautiful women 

                                                 (many half dressed), LA BRASSIERE just wasn't very sexy. 

                          

                          There are a few star cameos - Patrick Tam as a bra seller; Karen Mok and Stephen Fung 

                                    as former flames of Wayne and Lena respectively. (None are memorable).

                            Rosemary Vandenbroucke also appears as a model who tries on Johnny and Wayne's 

                         newly designed 'zipper bra'. "The bra isn't comfortable. The straps hurt. The bra SUCKS."     

                                                                                            

                                This is a movie about all about bras- they are simply everywhere. In one scene,

                                 in which Johnny and Samantha consummate their relationship, they are literally 

                            rolling around in bras, as even more bras spill out of boxes and rain down on them like 

                                flower petals. While bra and breast humor is predictably employed for its easy,

                                    superficial comedy potential, the bras in LA BRASSIERE ultimately become a 

                            metaphor for understanding women.  How successful this was is a subjective matter,

                                                           but for me, all I know is that I'm all bra'd out. 

 

                                                           

 

                                                 Note: This highly successful film later spawned the sequel Mighty Baby (2002).

 

                                              Related Viewing:  Beauty and the Breast (2002) -Francis Ng, Michelle Reis

                                                                        Your Place or Mine (1998) -Tony Leung, Ada Choi, Vivian Hsu

                                                                       Mighty Baby (2002) -Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo, Gigi Leung

 

 

                                 

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