Writer: Ng Suzhen

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Watch this if you liked: “Ice Kacang Puppy Love” & "The Wedding Diary"

The funny thing about "The Golden Couple" is that if you look at the scenes and characters individually, it feels that a good job has been done. But put them altogether, and something doesn't quite cut it.

With many young Malaysians being declared bankrupt nearly every day due to mismanagement in finance, director Ah Niu has picked a good topic to work on, especially since it is something that he has had experience with.

But the director's affinity with the subject matter does not show in the movie, which may have been caused by the scripting and editing.

The premise is exaggerated with the way protagonist Spark Lee (Mike He) spends money by the millions despite being just a normal advertising executive, which audience will find incredulous given Malaysians, no matter how frivolous wouldn't go to the extend unless backed by a rich family background.

Lee utilises bank loans, advanced salaries and the company account to live the way he does, which makes it all the more unconvincing that he hails from a really poor family as most would think that he would learn to appreciate the value of money if his childhood suffers from a lack of it.

A lot of side elements are also thrown into the fray, which may be an attempt to engage the audience into emphasising with secondary characters such as Spark's buddies, Brand (Steve Yap), the doting single parent to his daughter or Sam (Huang Jun-qi), who loses everything after Spark lost a large sum of money that Sam entrusted to him.

But the expanding of their side of the story doesn't quite work out as the editing seems to be all over the place. It is also hard to believe the bond between Spark and his buddies since there is really no reason for them to stick to him after being hit with a financial crisis thanks to his careless attitude towards money.
Editing and scripting aside, the cast actually gave a quality performance that has been dragged down by the poor handling of the movie. Kudos to Yap and Huang who both did a great job with the roles they were given.

Mike He too especially, known for his glamourous characters in Taiwanese idol dramas, actually proves that he is an actor of calibre. Toning down on the makeup and over- the-top pretty boy image he is normally accustomed with, He is easily relatable on screen as the debt-stricken man on the street. Audience would probably look forward to see him handle speaking Malay with a local Chinese accent, which isn't half-bad. His attempts alone are a source of amusement for the movie.

Singaporean actress, Fiona Xie also manages to pull her weight as Jackie, the rich girl out to prove her capabilities. Looking classy and beautiful all the way, she successfully injects Jackie with character, drawing the line at just being something pretty to be looked at.

Unfortunately, chemistry seem to be lacking between the two leads as it is hard to really believe that they end up falling for each other, which is a pity for two good-looking people.

"The Golden Couple" is worth a watch if all you are going for is to drool at Mike He, Fiona Xie or even Steve Yap. Just don't pay too much attention to the plot and you might just be able to scrape up a little good time from the film.

Cinema Online, 10 December 2012