The God of Cookery (1996)
cast: Stephen Chow, Karen Mok, Ng Man-tat, Vincent Kok, Law Kar-ying, and Lee Siu-kei

"God of Cookery" isn't a bad film, however, future Chow projects like "Shaolin Soccer" take similar subject material and cook them so much better. Everything from the later proves that Chow has all but honed his skills in recent years, and perhaps that's why "Shaolin Soccer" was such a treat to view.

Here, we have pretty much the same thing, except this time Chow portrays an arrogant and obnoxious world champion chef ("The God of Cookery") in the same vein of Japan's "Iron Chef," who is eventually dethroned when he completely undermines one of his students seeking revenge for being the butt of all of Chow's mean jokes.

Humiliated and penniless, Chow takes to the streets and joins forces with a disfigured vendor (yet another exponent of the Stephen Chow comedy) enjoyably portrayed by Karen Mok.

The outcome is way too typical, especially for Stephen Chow, whose trademark mo lai tou style of Cantonese comedy should have promised us more. Unfortunately, that may be the problem. Chow, known specifically for his Cantonese wordplay and inside jokes, may completely loose Western audiences through impossible translations, because midway through "God of Cookery" it becomes evident the film should be more funny than it actually is.

Then again, there is a healthy amount of idiotic pratfalls showcased here, especially an explanation for two of the character's survival after being shot in mainland China.

Nevertheless, it was number one at the box office for 1996 and even some good jokes and sight gags make it out of the Canto humor box.