AV VCD

Seemingly taken from Wong Jing's list of failed ideas, AV follows four college students (Wong Yau Nam of pop duo Shine, Lawrence Chou, Eric Tsang's son Tsang Kwok Cheung, and Chou Jun Fai) who are set to graduate soon, but have yet to discover their goals in life. In a random conversation, the four hear a story about a mutual friend (Tsui Tin Yau, the other half of Shine) who manipulated a girl from another school into a fake film shoot for a chance to kiss her. Upon seeing the tape of the "scene," the four develop the idea of hiring a Japanese AV actress (Amemiya Manami, a real AV actress playing herself) for a fake pornographic movie with all four of them as the "stars." However, they run into numerous obstacles along the way such as funding, locations, and an overzealous crew. Will they finally be able to get the "film" made? Will they be able to finally achieve something big?

With such a concept, AV could've easily become a Category III exploitation film. Fortunately, Pang keeps the proceedings relatively clean while maintaining its edge (there's still brief nudity and plenty of sex talk) by focusing on the journey rather than the destination. As a result, even though the ending is never really in doubt, the plot twists almost consistently, making the film feel active for most of its running time. However, Pang could've made a couple of choices in the editing room that would've made the film tighter, such as cutting a romantic subplot that slows the film down considerably. While Pang should be applauded for wanting to inject an emotional core into a raunchy comedy, the end result is more hurtful than helpful.

Fortunately, the good far outweighs the bad in AV. Pang's script offers some of the year's biggest laughs, especially an interview sequence with the four guys each trying to get government funding, and a random tale of two guys trying to impress girls in a cafe. Pang has a tendency to include a surprising twist at the end of his movies, and AV is no exception. However, since the outcome of the film is never really in doubt, AV's twist here doesn't carry the same payoff as the twists in Men Suddenly in Black of Beyond Our Ken. The twist feels neither forced nor particularly surprising; at best, it simply works as a footnote. One wonders if a film like AV even needs a twist at all.

Pang's narrative also allows the four leads to develop individual personalities that make them more likable than they probably should be. While the more experienced actors of the bunch (the Shine boys and Lawrence Chou) could've easily stolen the spotlight, the lead performances are balanced with each actor given their own moment to shine. Although Wong Yau Nam's atrocious Japanese is slightly bothersome, the talented actor still puts in an affecting performance as the closest thing to the lead in an ensemble comedy. Meanwhile, Tsui Tin Yau is the only weak link in the chain; he puts too much awkwardness into his supporting character. Instead of being a believable film geek, Tsui simply comes off as wooden and dull.

AV is ultimately more than a raunchy sex comedy about four guys looking for sex; it's also a social commentary on the apathetic nature of college students today, and that makes AV stands out from the rest of the pack. It's funny, entertaining, and thoughtful for most of its running time. And at the end of the day, that's more than I can ask for in a comedy.

By Kevin Ma