Structured around a series of family dinners that spiral into chaos, Sunny Chan’s Hong Kong comedy Table for Six was a record-breaking box office hit on release, thanks largely to a charming ensemble cast. Most of them return for this highly anticipated sequel, also directed by Chan and conceived as a special lunar new year vehicle. While the first film was almost entirely set in a single apartment, number two is much more ambitious in scope: this time, instead of dinners, it is a series of weddings that escalates into a whirlwind of comical mix-ups.
Reprising their original roles, Louis Cheung and Charm Man Chan star as half-brothers Bernard and Lung, who suddenly find themselves thrown into wedding preparations with their respective long-term girlfriends Monica (Stephy Tang) and Josephine (Ivana Wong). Here, the midlife regrets that hang over the shenanigans in Table for Six are now replaced with the siblings’ ambivalence towards commitment. It’s a topic that the sequel is, to be honest, ill-equipped to explore in depth, zigzagging from one splashy wedding venue to another. Also missing is the abundance of delicious food, a considerable factor in the success of the first film.
In compensating for the absence of the wondrously deadpan Dayo Wong, who opts out of the sequel, Table for Six 2 introduces a new character, pop idol Mark Gor (Jeffrey Ngai) as a replacement love interest for Meow (Lin Min-Chen). But this doesn’t really compensate for the void left behind by the lack of Wong’s fabulous comedic timing. The chemistry between the original cast makes up for the lacklustre script; even so, Table for Six 2 is a prime example of how an expanded budget does not necessarily result in a cinematic banquet.
• Table for Six 2 is released on 9 February in UK, Irish and Australian cinemas.
