My Young Auntie (1981)

Kara Hui, Lau Kar Leung, Johnny Wang (as the villain of course!), and Hsiao Hou battle it out for a will with fists, swords, song, and dance!

The synopsis does not do Kara's character justice. Cheng Tai Nan married an elderly man and second brother in the Yu clan who had taken good care of her and her father. He had made the special request so that she could see to it that his will and property deed went to his brother Yu Jing Chuen (the amazing Lau Kar Leung) and not to his nefarious brother Yu Yun Wei (Johnny Wang). Her husband died soon after their marriage and Tai Nan took the deed to Jing Chuen and was prepared to help him defend this inheritance. Tai Nan had incredible martial arts skills and did not suffer fools lightly, always ready to put the beat down on disrespectful rascals-including her new grandnephew! She represented the old ways as she bumped heads with Hsiao Hou's character and the encroaching modern (cars in a Shaw Brothers movie!) elements and Western influences.

Kara Hui was the gem in this goofy kung fu comedy. Her skills and beauty took center stage until she was sidelined for the final fight. She also won the first ever Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress for this role!

Lau Kar Leung wrote, directed, and choreographed this film. It's no secret he's one of my favorites. His fights are always quick and creative. I could almost forgive him for keeping Kara out of the final fight because it meant a showdown between him and Johnny Wang.

Hsiao Hou's performance as Charlie Yu Tao, Jing Chuen's reckless and immature son could be wearing. While an acrobatic martial artist, his acting is usually over the top and devoid of any nuance.

Johnny Wang played the role he's played so many times before, and yet always does a good job. Gordon Liu in a wig showed up as one of Charlie's friends. A long list of supporting and bit characters played by martial artists made my fangirl heart sing.

The sets were the best I've ever seen in a Shaw Brother's movie, none of the obviously cheaply made walls and windows for people to be thrown out of. People were thrown around, just on a higher class set.

For me, the movie ran about 30 minutes too long. There simply wasn't enough story to tell and some of the dance numbers/fights dragged on. Having a very young, great auntie and elder of the clan was a nice gimmick even if it was run into the ground at times.

My Young Auntie is a kung fu classic even if parts of it haven't held up well. For fans of Kara Hui or Lau Kar Leung it's worth watching.

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