Mr. Coconut | 合家歡 | Hrap Ghaa Fhun

Michael Hui, a villager from the Mainland, heads to has sister Olivia Cheng's place. The crowded household, which includes Raymond Wong and his sister Joey Wong struggle to tolerate his antics. This comedy is how they grow to eventually like him

The script is interesting but pretty cliche and simple. It allows for a lot of jokes and the humor is there. But not to the levels of certain other movies of Michael Hui or Raymond Wong. At times, the story detracts and adds no value to the film.

The movie starts out pretty well and highlights the cultural differences and attitudes of the time. But some of jokes are just not funny and the time spent on those could have been used better. Somewhere towards the end, in an attempt to create more sympathy for the situation, it just stops being funny. The tone of the film changes slightly. The scenes and actors work to keep it a comedy but they just come out kinda out of place.

The actors all play their roles well. Raymond Wong plays the overworked family man left to handle all the situations. Olivia Cheng is perfect as the loving and accomadating wife, urging her husband to keep cool. Michael Hui is his usual cynical self, but is a bit toned down and is more entertaining. Joey Wong's role is quite limited but blends well with the family. Many other big named cast play minor roles to great effect but ultimate let down by the limited screen time and character development.

The production is typical of 80's HK family movies. It has some good music and locales, with great incite into the period and culture.

It's a pleasantly fun film to watch in the beginning but drags on towards the end. There are plenty of laughs but also plenty of missed oppurtunities. Great film none-the-less.