Table for Six (Chinese: 飯戲攻心; lit: Heart Attack) is a 2022 Hong Kong comedy film written and directed by Sunny Chan.[3] Centered around the classically Chinese motifs of shared meals and dysfunctional family ties, this melodramatic comedy starring Dayo Wong, Stephy Tang, Louis Cheung and Ivana Wong was initially scheduled to release on 1 February 2022, the first day of Lunar New Year, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 and finally it was released on 8 September 2022.[4][5]
Table for Six | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Traditional | 飯戲攻心 |
Simplified | 饭戏攻心 |
Mandarin | Fàn xì gōngxīn |
Cantonese | Faan6 hei3 gung1 sam1 |
Literally | Heart Attack |
Directed by | Sunny Chan |
Written by | Sunny Chan |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Meteory Cheung Yu-Hon |
Edited by |
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Music by |
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Production companies |
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Distributed by | Anle Videos |
Release dates |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
Country | Hong Kong |
Language | Cantonese |
Box office | est. HK$74.54 million (US$9.59 million)[1][2] |
It was selected at 24th edition of Far East Film Festival held from April 22 to 30 2022, where it had its world premiere and was nominated for Best Screenplay Award.[6][7] Later it was also invited to the 21st New York Asian Film Festival in crowd pleasures section, where it had its North American premiere on 23 July.[8]
In this melodramatic comedy, three brothers reside in a home that they inherited from their late parents. The eldest brother Steve, theoretically is the man of the house, but he constantly is getting dissed by his two younger brothers Bernard and Lung for the decisions he makes, the inedible meals that he cooks, and his complicated romantic encounters. To prepare for a family reunion dinner, Steve seeks the help of Lung’s girlfriend and foodie Josephine and in doing so, wins back their hearts for a while, until his old flame and Bernard’s new girlfriend Monica shows up. That’s a recipe for a disaster waiting to explode! The unexpected visit of Steve’s part-time girlfriend, sexy web idol 'Meow', not only fails to turn down the heat and cool the awkward situation, but stirs up the sibling conflict even further. (From New York Asian Film Festival)[9]
The film initially slated to release on 1 February 2022 was postponed due to COVID-19 and finally it was released on 8 September 2022. It was selected at 24th edition of Far East Film Festival held from April 22 to 30 2022.[6][7]
It was invited at the 21st New York Asian Film Festival, where it was screened at Asia Society on July 23 for its North American premiere.[8][9]
Table for Six has grossed a total of US$19.75 million worldwide combining its box office gross from Hong Kong (US$5.53),[10] and China (US$15.79 million).[11]
As of 25 September 2022[update] the film is the second highest-grossing, Hong Kong-produced film released in the year 2022 with gross of HK$42,961,378.[1]
In the five weeks since the opening of the film, the cumulative box office exceeded 74.54 million Hong Kong dollars, breaking the box office record of Anita of 62.52 million, becoming the No. 3 highest-grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong. [12]
Tara Judah of Screen Daily reviewing the film for Far East Film Festival stated that "Sunny Chan serves up a light-hearted, soft-boiled comedy about misguided romance." Concluding Judah wrote, "Chan plays every narrative beat for laughs. While this approach makes the film easy to digest, it also means it misses out on the emotional payoff that comes with slightly higher – or at least somewhat consequential – stakes."[13]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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2022 | 24th Udine Far East Film Festival | Best Screenplay Award | Table for Six | Nominated | [4][14] |