The New King of Comedy (2019) | Region-Free (Blu-Ray) | Directed by Stephen Chow

Title: The New King of Comedy (2019)

Alternate Title: 新喜剧之王 (Xin Xi Ju Zhi Wang)

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Plot Synopsis:
A young woman dreams of becoming a movie star but struggles to secure substantial roles, often relegated to being an extra and stand-in. Despite numerous challenges and setbacks, she remains determined to pursue her passion for acting.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Stephen Chow
• Co-Director: Herman Yau
• Writers: Stephen Chow, Ivy Kong
• Cast:
  • E Jingwen as Ru Meng
  • Wang Baoqiang as Ma Ke
  • Zhang Quandan as Charlie
  • Jing Ruyang as Xiao Mi
  • Zhang Qi as Ru Meng’s Father

YouTube Trailer:
The New King of Comedy Official | Trailer

IMDb Link:
The New King of Comedy (2019)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. threepenny – ★★★★½
   “When I heard about this film, I misunderstood it completely, thinking it was just a remake of Chow’s King of Comedy, and ignored it. Well, that was stupid. I should’ve known better. Sure it’s a thematic remake about putting in the hard work as an extra year after year in the face of adversity until you make it. But it also takes place in a world where Stephen Chow is a famous director, and the extras are such fans of the original King of Comedy that they act out its famous final scene for fun, even with E Jingwen wearing the outfit that Cecilia Cheung wore. And the perspective has changed. The earlier film was wholly focused on the extra. Here, we get to see the family and friends of the extra, and how they support her, and how they don’t. It’s a more complete picture of the life of an extra, and it’s a wonderful film.”
2. Filipe Furtado – ★★★
   “Very funny and heartfelt in a scene by scene basis, but after near two decades operating in a much larger scale I suspect this minor register doesn’t fit Chow that well anymore even with Herman Yau around as on set traffic cop to help ground things. Both men have much better films about life at the Chinese film industry margins. Anyway, this is a pretty good mainstream comedy, just only occasionally possessed of Chow’s off-beat genius.”
3. Sam C. Mac – ★★★½
   “YOU…NEGATIVE…HEART…PEOPLE. Plz let this get a U.S. release. Chow’s funniest in a long, long while — and pretty strong evidence that he’s still got it.”

Meta Description:
“The New King of Comedy” (2019), directed by Stephen Chow, is a Chinese comedy-drama that follows a young woman’s relentless pursuit of her acting dreams, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of aspiring actors.