If you are Singaporean, chances are you have been amused by veteran local actor Chen Tianwen’s viral music video “Unbelievable” earlier this year. He shot to accidental fame with the video, which has now led to the launch of a comedy movie, “Mr Unbelievable”.
Directed by Ong Kuo Sin, “Mr Unbelievable” boasts a star-studded line-up with Chen Tian Wen, Liu Ling Ling, Marcus Chin, Roy Li, Jaime Teo and Tosh Zhang. Cameos by other local actors Hong Hui Fang, Hayley Woo, Daren Tan, Ezann Lee, Zhang Wei and even YouTube sensation Dr Jia Jia are also peppered in between scenes throughout the movie.
Chen Tian Wen, who plays the lead Eric Kwek, shared during the gala premiere that he hoped the audience had brought along tissue paper because “you are either going to need it from crying too hard or laughing too hard.” As someone who hardly cries during movies, I was glad that this tradition was not broken throughout the movie.
In the movie, we get a good sense of Eric’s personality from the start, and it’s difficult for the audience to empathise with his plight as he is hungry for fame and not a very likeable person. On the other hand, Tosh Zhang, who plays Eric’s forever-loyal student, Lawrence, is a happy-go-lucky boy-next-door, though some might call him naive for looking up to Eric.
The movie alternates between two different eras in Singapore, one when Eric was still a young chap living in the 1980s and 90s, and the Eric of today living in 2015.
Eric finally gets his big break at the age of 50 with the song “Unbelievable”, when it goes viral overnight after Lawrence decides to upload it on YouTube. It kind of reminds me of the time when Psy’s Gangnam Style went viral, and the whole world wouldn’t stop buzzing about it on social media and in conversations. Whether or not the song is really good though, that’s up to the viewer’s discretion.
Overall, Mr Unbelievable is a movie about a wannabe singer trying to inject getai influences in original compositions and putting it out in Singapore’s music industry. He is stubborn and he is prideful, but somehow, he ends up finding his way there with the help of others. In between his claim to fame, we catch a glimpse of his love life, his relationship with his mentor (played by Marcus Chin), and the unwavering loyalty of Lawrence.
Be prepared for a movie filled with Hokkien dialect, Mandarin and broken English. Though some lines are cheesy and somewhat clichéd, the original compositions are ingenious with catchy tunes. “Mr Unbelievable” is a feel good movie that’s perfect for the family, both young and old. Even if you’re not well versed in Hokkien or Mandarin, the subtitles will tide you through.
The movie opens in cinemas on 3 December 2015.
Watch the trailer here:
