Daniel Wu, Gillian Chung, Jim Chim

Three's definitely a crowd when an angry ex-girlfriend enlists the help of her former flame's lady to teach him a lesson. When Chan (Gillian Chung) discovers that her ex, Ken (Daniel Wu), has posted n...( read more  read more... )ude photos of her on his Web site, she doesn't think twice about asking his current girlfriend, Shirley (Hong Tao), for backup. But can a doubtful Shirley set aside her cattiness to see Ken for the creep he is?

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74% liked it

1,694 ratings

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Directed by: Edmond Pang, Ho-Cheung Pang

Release Date: December 31, 2004

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DVD Release Date: November 15, 2005

Stats: 102 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (102)


  • March 13, 2008
    For a Western viewer, Chinese comedy can often seem unapproachable. There's a culture gap between what is considered "funny", and the linguistic puns and cultural references don't always translate. That's not to say that Chinese comedies have no crossover appeal, but in general t...( read more)he broad slapstick performances and intentional silliness of many of these films seem to carry over best in action-comedy pictures from the likes of Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow, and less so when it comes to the situational humour of families or personal relationships. Director Pang Ho-Cheung skillfully bridges the gap with his dark relationship comedy Beyond Our Ken. The film is hardly at all what you'd expect from a reading of its premise, and should be fairly accessible to viewers from any cultural background.

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    Karaoke bar waitress Shirley (Tao Hong, The Red Violin) seems to be pretty happy with her boyfriend Ken (American-born HK superstar Daniel Wu, New Police Story), a charming guy we first meet throwing a surprise party and treating her sweetly. Things go sour one day when Ken's ex-girlfriend Ching (Gillian Chung, Twins Effect) introduces herself and begins telling Shirley stories about the less appealing side of Ken's personality and the petty, vindictive actions he took during their break-up. He may act kind and loving now, Ching warns, but just wait until all those naked pictures he took of you start showing up on the internet. Did he mention that he has Hepatitis B while he was convincing you to have unprotected sex? Suitably disgusted, Shirley takes attention. The two women so different in personality (Shirley is bubbly and extroverted while Ching is almost painfully shy and introverted) bond over their mutual and growing anger toward their common boyfriend, plotting their revenge. All the while, poor Ken has no idea what's going on and thinks Shirley is as in love with him as ever. Further surprises are of course in store, both for Ken and the women, as everyone's hidden agenda comes to light.

    While it could have gone for obvious gags and goofy slapstick, Beyond Our Ken is instead a low-key, thoughtful examination of conflicting emotions. The humour is based not on clichés or plotted set-ups, but on subtle nuances of behaviour and keenly observed details of how real relationships function. The film has no nudity, but features a very frank depiction of sex that feels totally real and honest. The characters don't always do the right thing or have the perfectly-scripted comeback line for any situation. The story gets a little confusing and almost breaks apart in the end, but this intelligent, even literate comedy-drama (we learn in the end credits that its title refers not just to the women's need to distance themselves from their boyfriend, but is also a quote from Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace") speaks directly to anyone who has ever been in a relationship, especially one that didn't last. By that measure, just about everyone, no matter where you come from, should find something to identify with in it. A very appropriate film to watch with your girlfriend/boyfriend.
  • February 17, 2009
    ermm,hw to say?i think that dark relationship which r about this movie is out of my mind,but im enjoy in this movie..
  • November 27, 2008
    Love triangle and betrayal... Beyond Our Ken has its charms and humor. Not really a romantic flick. The ex-girlfriend is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend and wants to get back at him through his current girlfriend.
  • July 8, 2008
    I guess they couldn't get Edison to play Ken, huh?
  • June 2, 2008
    Gillian delivers a great performance in this gem of a movie.
  • June 30, 2007
    wong wing sze has written a good script
  • June 10, 2007
    it's totally out of my expectation that it has an amazing plot. Aother surprise is from the acting of Gillian Chung -- probably her best ever.
  • May 15, 2007
    The story's quite intriguing, but I could kinda guess the ending...

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