Frugal Game: Take two average unemployed Hong Kong families. Give them each HK$500 to last them a week and see how they fare. This is the concept behind the new reality TV show called Frugal Game.

Eric Tsang plays Wai, a single father of two. It turns out his wife left him and he is recently unemployed so he hangs out at the local fast food place all day with other unemployed people. One day, however, his old boss (Carol Cheng) comes to him with a proposition: enter the "Frugal Game" and all of their debts will be paid off. At first Wai refuses but eventually gives in to the idea.

While this looks to be standard setup for Hong Kong silliness, it actually works. Instead of over the top craziness for 100 minutes, we actually get some good and believable drama with a smile now and then. I think this is due, mostly, to the fantastic cast. While I am more used to Tsang as the bumbling idiot of his earlier films, he comes off as a sensitive and caring guy. Miriam Yeung comes off surprisingly calm and level-headed which is a nice change from the usual over the top bubbly girl we've come to know and love. Carol Cheng also makes a nice return to screens as a more mature but still pleasing actress.

By the way, the DVD itself was just HK$23 or around $3 here in the states. Not a bad price.

Labels: Comedy, Hong Kong