Same Actors, Mileage Varies
I really enjoy Short End of The Stick. Wayne Lai and Nancy Wu were at peak chemistry.
Wayne Lai and Nancy Wu are both in Short End of The Stick and No Return. Short End of The Stick worked but No Return didn't. Why?
I mean bad writing is a real thing. But I'd like to dig a little deeper on this.
Wayne and Nancy have plenty of chemistry together. Nancy's character in Rosy Business was the Chai Gau's (Wayne Lai) concubine. Nancy was great in it even as a secondary character.
Rosy Business soon became a franchise with No Regrets, No Reserve, and No Return.
The problem is, for the franchise, Wayne Lai's characters are strong and dominant. Sharon Teng is very very good at playing the domineering 4th wife and alter Miss Nine.
So by the time we're at No Return, there are some expectations. The audience was expecting Sharon to be back, which did not happen. Production casted Nancy, which I think she really did the best she can, but the writing was already running thin, and her chemistry only works when Wayne does not play the dominant one, No Return falls short.
Meanwhile check out Short End of the Stick.
