Film Name: 富贵逼人 / It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World / 富貴逼人
Last night I binge-watched these two movies. The series concludes with a third installment titled “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World III,” wrapping up the story. It’s about the lives of ordinary folks in Hong Kong. A family of several members, with the mom (played by Fatty) going crazy trying to get rich. She buys every single lottery ticket every week (the mahjong scene explains how losing thirty bucks can buy over a dozen lottery tickets). The youngest daughter even uses a Ouija board to predict the next lottery numbers. The father, a journalist, takes strong stances against social injustices. The funniest moments involve him either walking into his boss’s office to catch the boss and the director in a compromising position, or bumping into them cavorting at a hotel while unemployed. Each encounter nets him favors from the boss, who delivers particularly memorable lines. “I threatened you to threaten me into coming back to work tonight.” Translated plainly, the boss forced him to return. Dad sought out the boss precisely to get his job back.
Finally, the screenwriter had to reward the family with a jackpot—12 million Hong Kong dollars. Each child shared their wish with Dad: going to Japan for a concert. Dad retorts, “What’s so great about Japan? They rewrote history—September 18th… Hong Kong’s three years and eight months… ruined our chance to fish at Diaoyu.” Back then, the older generation felt deeply Chinese, always chanting “Return our mountains and rivers!”
Dad insists, “Don’t squander it. This money barely covers five lifetimes of meals. We must spend it sparingly.”
One scene: while channel-surfing, they caught Jiang Qing—yes, that Jiang Qing from the Gang of Four—live on trial for her crimes. She claimed she knew nothing. Then the TV was turned off. That was the highlight, right on the pulse of current events.
Another time, while flipping channels for the lottery draw, someone complained, “Even Ho Sau-shun doesn’t change channels—why bother?”
Another time, a man got locked out without his keys. Mom said, “Call the convenience store to come open the door. Tell them you’re Guo Ya’s daughter, and they’ll break it down.” That was another highlight. Look it up on Baidu—won’t elaborate here.
Both films were directed and written by Ko Chi-sum. The second film is better than the first. The ending of the first one left viewers confused—it felt like they shot too much footage and couldn’t bear to cut anything, resulting in a rushed conclusion. Also, note that TVB Asia aired a show hosted by Ko Chi-sum. The first film was made in 1986, the second in 1987—essentially one per year. It’s rare to see films of such high quality today, rich in content and socially relevant.
I wasn’t even born yet back then.
Both films feature a family riding the subway, though the incidents differ. In one, the mother insists on occupying a tiny seat for her daughter, who feels too embarrassed to sit there. The mother ends up sitting alone, while the man beside her refuses to sit for fear she’ll crush him. In the other, the subway is filled with non-Cantonese speakers, prompting the father to remark, “Hong Kong is being overrun by outsiders.” See? This was already an issue back then.
Please specify：Anime Phone Cases » It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World 1987 Film Review: Looking back after thirty years, it has a different flavor.