Movie Review: Nasi Lemak 2.0

25th of September 2011 (Sunday)





























Movie
Nasi Lemak 2.0

JR & I wanted to give the new MBO Cinema in Subang Parade a try and had to choose between Johnny English: Reborn &Nasi Lemak 2.0. As Nasi Lemak 2.0, had the earlier time slot we ended up watching it. Overall MBO was a comfortable experience although they had some technical issues such as poor labelling of the chairs (many patrons were confused by one row being AA and another being A plus you can’t see the seat numbers in the dark) and for the entire movie the projector was projecting about a handspan’s higher than the screen itself, cutting off the foreheads of most characters. It was not intolerable but was a niggling irritant nonetheless.

Storyline:
Nasi Lemak 2.0 is about the journey of a graduate in Chinese culinary arts from Mainland China to learn how to make nasi lemak and in the process, overcome his racism, ego and discover his identity as a Malaysian.

Cast/Production/Visual Effects: (not necessarily in that order)
I usually judge the cast of characters based on how memorable the on-screen characters are after I have come out from the cinema and I must say that despite having more than 15 characters with scripts, many characters are easily called to mind (even those who didn’t say anything in the movie or whose face couldn’t even be seen). I think this is primarily because each character represents something uniquely Malaysian, be it Malaysian traits, cultural trademarksand even Malaysian politics. It is a movie about us Malaysians and the ability to laugh at ourselves is probably the most crucial factor to enjoying this movie. Our small cinema was packed with the young and old and Malaysians of all races but the laughs were all equally loud at the quirky and zany scenes on screen.

I’m not an expert on production quality but I thought the camerawork was decent, the CG scenes typically too fake but the overall quality was suitable for a movie that’s just for laughs. The local scenery does help in the authenticity of the movie, I’ve heard of shows being filmed in completely different places from what is purported on screen, although I suppose you wouldn’t be able to tell from a generic house supposedly in Malacca, a hut by the riverside in … I forget where and a wooden house in a kampung in Johor.

Verdict:
Overall I really enjoyed the movie and wonder why we don’t have more good Malaysian made movies. It’s a real shame that Singapore makes funnier movies than us because I should think that Malaysians are a fairly funny lot who can do some crazy things plus I would think that we have a more relaxed attitude to life. Is it the inability to laugh at ourselves? Or are we so sensitive that every little thing seems to trigger lawsuits left, right and centre?

My recommendation is to watch it if you can still catch it. Malaysian movies are notoriously hard to find through legal channels (still looking for Kopitiam) once they’re out of cinema. Word of caution: For those who pale at even the sound of scary music, you might want to take a toilet break / close your eyes & ears / think of your happy place (or whatever it is you do) at the Malacca scene.