Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

After the success of their last project together, the romantic comedy, Needing You, Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng decide to team up again in Love on a Diet a humorous take on the crazy things love makes people do.

Sammi Cheng (Wu Yen, Needing You, Summer Holiday) is Mini Mo, a 300 pound girl Hong Kong ex-pat living in Japan whose famous pianist boyfriend, Kurokawa, has been overseas for the last 10 years. At the end of every concert he plays a song that he composed for her before he went to the States. This bothers his fiance, Ms. Kudo, as you might expect it would. She keeps trying to attack Kurokawa with an expensive shoe, and is one of the funniest characters in the movie.

Mini started eating since he left, and has gained 200 pounds, so even though she happens to run into Kurokawa after his concert, he doesn't recognize her. (And, really who would? She's 3 times her weight now...) It at this point that Mini decides to try and kill herself, only to have that fail miserably.

The owner of the hotel that she's been staying in tries, rather unsuccessfully to attach Mini to a new love, but they all say they have to use the toilet and get the hell out of wherever she is.

She does get Fatso (Andy Lau; God of Gamblers 2-3, Moment of Romance, Needing You) to accept responsibility for her debt, but only afer she buys 2 sets of kitchen knives from him. At that point Fatso just wants to try and get rid of Mini, he'd only helped her because they were both from Hong Kong. Failing to accomplish this, Fatso just keeps her around, and at that point everything is as it will be for pretty much the rest of the movie.

The real fun starts once Mini finds out that Kurokawa will wed his fiance later in that year. But, Kurokawa declares on a radio program that he will honor his promise to Mini to meet her at the tower on September 30, 2001, a vow they made 10 years ago.

This is when the diet begins, and when the characters start to make the trek towards attraction that is pretty much inevitable.

On a believability scale, the movie falls pretty low...Mini losing 200 pounds in 6 months, and the final 80 in a week is pretty much off the charts.

Also, parts of the fat makeup just don't look right. The arms on Sammi and Andy just don't look right...they're totally discolored in relation to the rest of their bodies, and in certain scenes when they flatten out their hands, you can the see the knuckle area fold over.

Plus, if Kurokawa's SO in love Mini, why the heck's he got a fiance? Ms. Kudo's already way more than he deserves. I mean, he looks like the lead singer from the Ulfuls.

I wish there was a bit more information on the movie around, because I'd like to know who played a lot of the bit charater roles, IMDB and everywhere else I check only lists Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, but who's that radio reporter? That's an unsolved mystery worth looking into...

There's also a cameo by Japan's human punching bag, Nagurareya. He's got an interesting story, you can read about him here:

http://www.tokyoclassified.com/biginjapan/365/biginjapaninc.htm

In the end the movie ends up being an enjoyable romp through romantic fantasy. It's fairly funny most of the way through, and there aren't really any parts that make you cringe from the bad comedy. Switch your mind into movie mode and the only real plot point that's hard to get over is Kurokawa having a fiance...

3.5 out of 10, rounds to 4.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12
Special Effects: Well at least you can't see the strings