| The Fortune Handbook | |
| Director: | Kelvin Sng |
| Producer: | Melvin Ang Jack Neo Christopher Lee Mark Lee Li Nanxing |
| Starring: | Christopher Lee Li Nanxing Mark Lee Vivian Lai Xavier Ong Jazliyana Lee |
| Music: | Mo Ju Li |
| Cinematography: | Chiu Wai Yin |
| Editing: | Hamster Low |
| Studio: | mm2 Entertainment J Team Productions |
| Distributor: | mm2 Entertainment Shaw Organisation |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Country: | Singapore |
| Language: | Mandarin Teochew |
| Budget: | S$1.3 million |
| Gross: | S$1 million |
The Fortune Handbook is a 2017 Chinese New Year Singaporean comedy film directed by Kelvin Sng and starring Christopher Lee, Li Nanxing and Mark Lee. It was released in cinemas on January 26, 2017,[1] [2] and is one of two films distributed by mm2 Entertainment during the Chinese New Year period in 2017, the other being Take 2.
Soh Hock (Christopher Lee), a never-do-well, is obsessed with becoming rich and constantly scheming to get the secret recipe to Hao Xing, his brother-in-law's (Li Nanxing) famous traditional Chinese pastry. When a God Of Fortune (Mark Lee) stumbles into his and his family's lives, things become messy.[3]
| Cast | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Lee | Soh Hock | |
| Li Nanxing | Ren Haoxing | |
| Mark Lee | Huat God | |
| Vivian Lai | Ah Zhen, Soh Hock's wife | |
| Xavier Ong | Soh Hock's son | |
| Jazliyana Lee | Soh Hock's daughter | |
| Marcus Chin | Intern supervisor | |
| Nathan Hartono | Fortune God intern | |
| Sheila Sim | Fortune God intern | |
| Ferlyn Wong | Fortune God intern | |
| Hossan Leong | Fortune God intern | |
| Chua Jin Sen a.k.a. Dr. Jiajia | Fortune God intern | |
| Dawn Yeoh | Reporter | |
| Zheng Geping | Competition judge | |
| Hong Huifang | Competition judge | |
| Lina Ng | Contestant No.1 | |
| Eelyn Kok | Contestant No.2 | |
| Josephus Tan | Contestant No.2 's husband | |
| Allan Moo | Contestant No.3 's husband | |
| Ho Ai Ling | Ma Zi | |
| Chantalle Ng | Albee | |
| Jasmine Sim | Mel |
Sng decided to gather the "Three Lees in Entertainment", Christopher Lee, Mark Lee and Li Nanxing, to star in a film together. According to an interview with Weekender Singapore, Sng said that "it started out as a joke, but all three of them actually agreed to do it". All three were listed as executive producers, together with Jack Neo and Melvin Ang. It was such a success that the actors started talking about their next project together.[4] [5]
Li, who has always played "solemn and heavy" roles, such as a cop, lawyer or baddie, took on his first comedic role because of his co-stars, saying in an interview with The Straits Times that he "signed on because of the other two." Initially, he felt awkward being cast as Vivian Lai's ex-boyfriend due to the age gap, so Sng altered the role to be her brother instead.[6]
Filming started on October 31, 2016 with a production cost of $1.3 million, and lasted for 20 days.
Boon Chan of The Straits Times rated The Fortune Handbook a 2 out of 5 stars, stating that although important holiday themes such as "prosperity, the importance of family and bak kwa" are present, "the end result is far from savoury" as "(Sng's) characters laugh more than the audience - hearing laughter on the screen is not the same thing as watching a funny film".[7]
John Li of MovieXclusive.com rated the film a 2.5 out of 5 stars, citing the "countless mentions of brands or appearances of products" and that "viewers may not find all gags funny and end up wondering why the characters are laughing a lot more than the audiences".[8]