MIGHTY BABY
Johnny--Lau Ching-Wan
Wayne--Louis Koo Tin-Lok
Samantha--Carina Lau Ka-Ling
Lena--Gigi Leung Wing-Kei
Boey--Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi
Sabrina--Rosamund Kwan Chi-Lam
Director: Patrick Leung

One wonders if having almost all of the cast of last year's successful La Brassiere (2001) for Patrick Leung's Mighty Baby will bestow similar triumph for the director in his second film. Certainly the talent is there and the writing is indeed above par for most films of the year, but the concept of 'more of the same' does not always make for a great film.

The story picks up several months after the end of the first film. Kanoko, the head of SIS group is given a small company called B&B as a pregnancy gift from her husband. Samantha (Carina Lau) and Johnny (Lau Ching-Wan) have split because of her inability to maintain balance in her relationship and her career. Wayne (Louis Koo) has left the SIS to avoid similar strains in his relationship with Lena (Gigi Leung). As the B&B company has been granted the opportunity to create the new 'ultimate baby product', Johnnie asks Wayne to come back to help him. He also hires Sabrina (Rosamund Kwan) as his secretary, who has a small nervous disorder. To help the team get inspiration for the product the Japan office sends Boey (Cecilia Cheung) as an advisor. Additionally there are several similar settings with the original film that further serve as comical moments.

The filmmakers try to recreate the original formula of thrusting the typical macho- chauvinistic characters of Johnny and Wayne into another unfamiliar territory (This time it is the realm of babies). Unfortunately both characters seem to have regressed slightly in terms of maturity from the level they attained at the conclusion of the first film. And in addition to their slightly more boyish behavior, a few more "cartoonish" scenes are added, which only make the movie more and more unrealistic and unbelievable. While this is done to generate humor, it makes the film seem overly silly at times. Even at its best moments the film seems to be trying too hard to get a laugh.

The film's look is reminiscent of the original. The filmmakers do manage to get some nice sequences with the host of babies that appear throughout the film (certainly no small task). Inevitably there are the highly visible product endorsements.

For those who loved the first film and the chemistry between Lau and Koo, you will certainly find this film entertaining. And despite the absurd nature of some of the scenes, it is nice to see the entire cast back together again.