Master Cheng, the last film of our 77th season achieved an overall appreciation score of 88%. Many members found this excellent, enjoyable and a great choice to end the season, while some found the film overly sentimental and predictable. Some of the comments submitted:
- A great upbeat film to end the season!
- Excellent and enjoyable, but with enough personal/social commentary to make you think … what more could you ask for! A wonderful example of ‘show don’t tell’ cinema.
- Funny, poignant, romantic, uplifting, all the elements of an excellent film for a cinema audience.
- Lovely film. Spontaneous applause and much foot stamping shows audience reaction!
- It is a sweet, feel good film. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Great choice!
- Lovely uplifting and gently humorous film, beautiful scenery and a perfect last film of the season.
- A good film to end the season, sweet but predictable.
- A little too saccharine at times for my taste but a nice uplifting film to end the season.
- Nice way to finish the season with something light and uplifting
- It was a predictable feel good film. Can see why the CFS chose this as the final film.
- An opportunity to show off Finland’s beautiful forests and lakes, and simple, yet wholesome, pastimes. It did a good job of making me want to go and do the Finnish way of life, or at the very least, holiday there. The story however, was a bit strange. The Fongtron thing was over done, and the stereotype neglected child left to his own devices, literally, was a little cliche. As was his not being allowed on a bike or out of his father’s sight etc etc. Nevertheless, it was uplifting and I liked the development of the two unlikely friends and their culinary interests that brought them together. A rather nice film to end on, but perhaps not one of the best cinematic creations I’ve seen.
- Very entertaining. One of the best films this year. We enjoyed it very much.
- Gently amusing romance, a slight tale of no consequence.
- A charmless unsubtle story.
- Okay film nothing special – moments of comedy & great scenery – the ending was somewhat predictable.
- It was a very predictable story (and pretty unrealistic too) but as a feel-good film it was fine. Beautiful scenery.
- Over-sentimentalised, poor continuity, anything for a cheap emotional response.
- It was suggested that this film would be a more light hearted way to complete this year’s film club. But I found Master Cheng to be insipid, annoying and too long. I didn’t feel any of the actors were convincing, the plot stretched the imagination to breaking point at times, and I didn’t take anything away from it to reflect on afterwards.