Precarious Lives through Stephen Chow’s Comic Lens : Speculation, Caricature, and Precariat

Stephen Chow's portrayal of underdogs is widely recognized and celebrated in his films, alongside his cinematic humor. Among his signature cinematic motifs, underdogs have been a recurring hallmark since his first commercial success, All of the Winner (1990). Over the past three decades, Chow has continued to feature this type of character in his films, including the impoverished immigrant from mainland China for All for the Winner, the hawker-secret agent in From Beijing with Love (1994), the minor government official in Hail the Judge (1994), the homeless dreamer in Shaolin Soccer (2001), and the temporary construction worker in CJ7 (2008). In addition to underdogs, Chow's films also frequently explore characters who experience a loss of fortunes or social status as the narrative unfolds.  A few examples include the imprisoned lawyer in Justice, My Foot! (1992), the entrepreneur-turned-beggar, in The God of Cookery (1996), and the spoiled kid abandoned by his wealthy family in Sixty Million Dollar Man (1995). These characters experience pain and unease, embodying the concept of precarity, which has recently gained attention in academic discourse. While critics have praised Chow's depictions of underdogs and grassroots stories, as well as his postmodern absurdity in the comedy of "nonsense" and his digitization of kung fu culture in the age of Hong Kong-Mainland coproduction (Lai 2001; Lee 2009: 117-37; Yu 2010), little attention has been given to the precarious lives portrayed in his work. This chapter seeks to explore the evolution of images of precarious lives in Chow's films from the 1990s to the 2010s, including All for the Winner, Tricky Brains (1991), and The Mermaid (2016), in relation to the changing socioeconomic contexts of Hong Kong and China.