My Name is Fame
2006; directed by Lawrence Lau

Making movies that are about making movies is often a dicey proposition, since they can quickly turn into self-referential meta-pandering twaddle. Lawrence Lau's 2006 release My Name is Fame manages to transcend that trap, in no small part due to Lau Ching-Wan's strong performance. Even if you're not a huge Hong Kong movie buff and don't get some of the in-jokes presented here, you'll still most likely find this to be a winning dramedy.

My Name is Fame tells the story of Poon Kar-Fai (Lau Ching-Wan), an actor who won the Best Newcomer award after his first role but has never become a big star due to his demanding standards of perfection, which has led to him being virtually blacklisted in the movie industry and having to subsist on small roles on television series. After refusing to sign a new contract with the network he works for, Kar-Fai takes a job as a manager for a young actress, Faye Ng (Fok Sze-Yin). Kar-Fai begins to take a shine to Faye and teaches her acting techniques, which gives her the chops to become a hot rising star. After battling feelings of jealousy, Kar-Fai severs his teaching relationship with Faye and starts to try and resurrect his career.

In many ways, My Name is Fame follows the path one might expect, but makes some refreshing changes to the cinematic playbook, most notably in the interaction between Kar-Fai and Faye, as well as the finale, which takes a different (but still satisfying) turn. Though it really doesn't present anything all that new in the end -- the message of Hong Kong film-makers and actors needing to put aside their differences and work together has been something presented every once in a while since the downturn of the industry in the early 1990's, such as with Stephen Chow's King of Comedy. But Lawrence Lau thankfully never wallops the theme into the viewer's retinas, and My Name is Fame is just as enjoyable for those new to Hong Kong cinema as it is for veterans.

More experienced Hong Kong movie viewers will certainly get a kick out of seeing the many cameos shown, which include actors like Ekin Cheng and Tony Leung Ka-Fai, as well as directors such as Gordon Chan and Ann Hui. But even if you have no idea who those people are or don't care about the whole movie-making process, Lau Ching-Wan's work here (which garnered him his first Hong Kong Film Award) is so well-done that it makes My Name is Fame a compelling cinematic experience that is well worth your time and money to check out.

RATING: 7.5