Boys Are Easy
Boys Are Easy (追男仔; pinyin: zhuī nán zǐ) is a 1993 Hong Kong romantic comedy directed and written by Wong Jing, in which a widowed father fakes a terminal illness to pressure his three unmarried daughters into finding boyfriends. It was released in Hong Kong on 12 August 1993 and stars Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung, Chingmy Yau, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Jacky Cheung, Ekin Cheng, and Jimmy Lin.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 追男仔 (Jui nam chai / Zhui nan zi), English title Boys Are Easy1 • 3 |
| Director and writer | Wong Jing; 1905.com also credits Bosco Lam as director2 |
| Release | 12 August 1993 (Hong Kong)1 |
| Genre | Comedy and romance4 |
| Runtime | Reported as 90, 96, or 97 minutes depending on the source5 • 3 |
| Hong Kong box office | HK$11,856,568 per one database; another gives HK$11,860,8691 |
| Production companies | Chang Hong Channel Film & Video, Wong Jing's Workshop Ltd., and Win's Film Productions4 • 3 |
Spoilers
Plot
The father, Ching Sing (Richard Ng), raised his three daughters and a younger son alone after his wife died. When a close friend of the same age dies suddenly, he resolves to see his children settled and pretends to suffer from a terminal illness so that the daughters will bring boyfriends home.2 • 5 The daughters, each with a different personality, hastily recruit stand-in suitors, producing a string of comic situations before the couples genuinely pair off and the father's "illness" cures itself.5
The three romances. The eldest daughter, Ching Siu Tung (Brigitte Lin), is a tough police officer who is transferred to the anti-vice squad after a botched operation and brings home the self-styled "King of Gigolo Karaoke", Simon Tse Sai (Tony Leung Ka-fai).6 • 7 The second daughter, Ching Siu Nam (Maggie Cheung), is a social worker who recruits the triad member Wu Ying (Jacky Cheung) as a fake boyfriend, and he is eventually reformed by her affection.6 • 8 The youngest, Ching Siu Sze (Chingmy Yau), ropes in a twenty-seven-year-old virgin, Lee Chi Ko (Ekin Cheng), by pretending to be a poor hooker.6 The younger son, Ching Siu Pei (Jimmy Lin), completes the family.3
Production and style
Wong Jing served as director, writer, and producer, with Hui Pooi-Yung as co-producer; Jingle Ma Choh-Sing was the director of photography, Lowell Lo Koon-Ting composed the music, and Hung Poon edited.4 • 9 Bosco Lam worked as assistant director, and 1905.com credits him as a director alongside Wong Jing.2 The film was rated IIA in Hong Kong.5
The comedy relies on gags, movie parodies, and broad slapstick, including action set pieces with fight choreography by Nicky Lee (李忠志).6 • 1 Reviewers have noted parodic touches throughout: the eldest daughter is named Ching Siu Tung after the action choreographer, Tony Leung Ka-fai riffs on famous scenes from A Better Tomorrow, and one character convincingly imitates Bruce Lee.10 • 11 Sandra Ng appears in a cameo in which she beats up Jimmy Lin's character.6
Reception and home video
Its Hong Kong gross is recorded as HK$11,856,568 in one database and HK$11,860,869 in another.1 On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.5/10 from about 355 votes,3 and Rotten Tomatoes lists no critic reviews with a 45% audience score from more than 250 ratings.12 The LoveHKFilm review called it "a surprisingly funny wackfest" despite many Hong Kong-specific jokes.6
The 2002 Mei Ah DVD release omits substantial portions of the film, including parts of the "Triad Olympics" sequence, the "Bowling" song parody, and a scene featuring Ha Ping, whose character does not appear at all in that edition.6 The film was later released on DVD with Cantonese and Mandarin tracks and removable English and Chinese subtitles.6
References
- イージーな彼氏たち／追男仔（1993）, KUNGFU TUBE
- 追男仔 (1993), 1905电影网
- Boys Are Easy (1993), IMDb
- Boys Are Easy (1993), Jeffrey Hartmann movie database
- 影視資料/追男仔 (1993), Tw.18dao.net
- Boys are Easy (1993), LoveHKFilm review by Kozo
- 추남자 (Boys Are Easy), Cine21
- 追男仔, WMOOV
- Boys Are Easy (1993) full cast and crew, IMDb
- Boys Are Easy review by naokevin, Letterboxd
- Boys Are Easy review by DungeonSkramz, Letterboxd
- Boys Are Easy, Rotten Tomatoes
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1990 to 1994 › Titles symbols to J
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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