Written and directed by Norris Wong, believing that writing Cantopop is her God-given talent, Law Wing Sze decides to make it her lifelong career. But as hard as Wing Sze tries, nothing seems to go her way. What if there’s a will, but there’s no way? Starring: Chung Suet-Ying, Tang Lai Ying, Sabrina Ng, Anson Chan, Eric Kot Man-Fai, Luna Shaw, Ernest Poon Chung Hau, Chu Pak-Hong, Tony Wu, Henick Chou and Yukki Tai.
The first thing to dive into with The Lyricist Wannabe is how Norris Wong creates the perfect tone. So many films that exist in these musically driven teenage worlds fall quickly into melodrama, cheesy romance and waterfalls of emotion, but Wong creates something different. It still has plenty of sweetness, youth and a little bit of a cheesy edge but it’s done in a fun, relatable and entertaining way. A big part of that is the creation of Law Wing Sze because she is a truly fantastic character.
She’s a highly driven, committed, creative young woman with a hustle mentality who is effortless to watch. Chung Suet-Ying gives this character such a big, infectiously endearing and funny personality. Added to that early 2000s setting, it’s extremely wholesome, as well as its adorable use of animation to help explore her imaginative side. It’s also really great to never see her taken over by a crush or romance, the film gives her the sole focus.
Much like its use of animation, The Lyricist Wannabe has a flair for colour and high energy. It has an ingrained enthusiasm which is really enjoyable to watch. However, the way that it progresses can feel messy, it’s covering a large amount of time but the transition to each new age feels underemphasised. It takes away from the experience, as though it’s just breezing past a lot of time, without giving the character time to grow with it or adding more to accent the passing of time. The choices for its finale also feel unsatisfying, it’s summing things up a bit too easily and using a fairly weak montage.
The Lyricist Wannabe is sweet and wholesome, with an utterly charming and charismatic leading character, portrayed with strength and determination by Chung Suet-Ying. It’s got a great energy and enjoyable story, it just feels like it lets itself down with the pacing and progression. It’s a little bit jumbled and loses its way in the end, which does a disservice to what is otherwise a very entertaining, colourful and funny film.
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