Top 10 Chinese Comedy Movies

Many foreigners know Chinese martial arts films. But few can name Chinese comedy movies. Here is a list of  my highly recommended Chinese comedies (in no particular order) you definitely should see:

1. The Eagle Shooting Heroes 《东成西就》

The Eagle Shooting Heroes is a 1993 comedy movie. It is adapted from Louis Cha’s wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The film is a extremely funny parody which piles on various comedy elements including love triangles, bizarre musical numbers and entertaining action sequences.

2. From Beijing With Love《国产凌凌漆》

From Beijing With Love is a 1994 Hong Kong comedy movie directed by comedy king Stephen Chow and stars Stephen Chow, Anita Yuen and Law Ka-Ying. The movie sticks to physical humour and situation comedy and is one of Chow’s most satisfying films. This movie was actually a mischievous distortion of James Bond 007 Series.

3. A Chinese Odyssey Part II -Cinderella 《大话西游之仙履奇緣》

A Chinese Odyssey Part II -Cinderella is a nonsense film starred by Stephen Chow. The film is a extravagant visualization of the classic novel Journey to the West. In order to save his dying wife Bai Jingjing, the Joker Monkey King has to travel to 500 years ago but he finds that he has fallen in love with another woman – the Spider Woman.

4. Back to Back, Face to Face 《背靠背脸对脸》

Back to Back, Face to Face is a 1994 Chinese comedy film directed by Huang Jianxin. The film is a black comedy to describe the ups and downs of official career of a  director of cultural center, disclosing how potential rules of officialdom work in China.

5. Tai Tai Wan Sui《太太万岁》

Tai Tai Wan Sui is a 1947 Hong Kong black-and-white film directed by Sang Hu . The scriptwriter is the famous fiction writer Eileen Chang. It tells story mainly between a wealthy unfaithful man and his wife and reveals and praises Chinese women’s attempts of  harmonising complicated family relationships.

6. Wan Zhu 《顽主》

Wan Zhu, also known as The Trouble-Shooters, is a 1989 Chinese urban comedy film starring Zhang Guoli, Liang Tian and Ge You. It tells some funny things that happen in a “Trouble-Shooter” company. Three unemployed youths set up a company to help people solve various problems during the late 1980s, they encounter various people in the society and experience many absurd things and hardships, but finally had to close the company.

7. I Am Your Father 《我是你爸爸》

I Am Your Father is a 2000 Chinese film directed by the writer Wang Shuo starring Feng Xiaogang and Xu Fan. The film is adapted from writer Wang Shuo’s novel of the same title. It tells the story of growing relationship between the widowed man Ma Linsheng and his school-age son.

8. Sanmao Joins The Army 《三毛从军记》

Sanmao Joins the Army is a 1994 film directed by Zhang Jianya. The film tells the leading role San Mao’s absurd and ironic adventures during the 1937 Battle of Shanghai. It was praised for its imaginative and bold approach.

9. You Shoot, I Shoot 《买凶拍人》

You Shoot, I Shoot is a 2001 Hong Kong movie. It tells a funny story that a professional contract killer is demanded by his clients to shoot his killings. The film is full of laughing stocks and an excellent work of Hong Kong comedies.

10. Crazy Stone 《疯狂的石头》

Crazy Stone is a 2006 Chinese black movie directed starring Guo Tao, Liu Ye, Huang Bo and Xu Zheng. The film is highly entertaining, enjoyable and can be comparable with the movie You Shoot, I Shoot.