7 Hilarious Movies To Watch For A Cheery Chinese New Year

The list includes local and international titles which will tickle your bones.

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Chinese New Year is a lot of fun for children because they get to play games with their cousins and collect ang paus from adult relatives.

However, the festive days can be a little boring or repetitive for the adults. Why not arrange a movie night for the family to cast boredom far away?

Here are some local and international Chinese New Year movies to watch and have a laugh with the family.

1. Nasi Lemak 1.0

Release date: 27 January

Director: Namewee

Cast: Namewee, Saiful Apek, David Arumugam, Delimawati, Wak Doyok, AC Mizal, Karen Wong, Yumi Wong

Summary: During an intense cooking competition, Chef Huang (Namewee) inadvertently travels 600 years back in time to the Melaka Sultanate. Once there, he finds himself caught in between the historical conflicts that will happen. Despite the brewing tensions, he created nasi lemak 1.0 and potentially altered history as we know it.

2. Reunion Dinner

Release date: 31 January

Director: Ong Kuo-Sin

Cast: Lawrence Wong, Cya Liu, Mark Lee, Mimi Zhu, Xiang Yun, Jack Choo, Guo Liang

Summary: Chaoyang is embarrassed by his mother’s occupation as a mama-san, so he decides to engage the help of his friend, Wei, to “rent a family” for the reunion dinner with his future father-in-law.

However, the sham falls to pieces when the lie is eventually exposed over dinner. Will Chaoyang be able to repair the relationship with his mother and reconcile with his girlfriend, Zi Hong?

3. Ah Girls Go Army

Release date: 1 February

Director: Jack Neo

Cast: Apple Chan, Xixi Lim, Yang Guang Ke Le, Samantha Tan, Shirli Ling, Farah Farook, Eswari Gunasagar, Kelly Kimberly Cheong, Belle Chua Bei Er, Veracia Yong, Glenn Yong

Summary: The comedy film is an extension of Jack Neo’s popular Ah Boys To Men series. It tells of a hypothetical future when Singapore has to recruit women into National Service due to a shortage of men in the country caused by falling birth rates.

4. Kongsi Raya

Release date: 3 February

Director: Teddy Chin

Cast: Qasrina Karim, Wilson Lee, Harith Iskander, Erra Fazira, Chew Kin Wah, Ong Ai Leng

Summary: Jack, a Chinese chef-manager who’s in line to take over his family’s restaurant, and Sharifah, a TV programme producer for her celebrity chef father Rahim, are crazy in love. However, both their fathers are against the relationship and it escalated into an all-out cooking competition between both families. Jack and Sharifah must find a solution before it all gets out of hand.

5. Small Town Heroes

Release date: 3 February

Director: Ryon Lee

Cast: Jack Lim, Layla Sania, Phua Chandler, Roger Shak, Yuan Teng

Summary: City boy Hero moved to Xingfuyuan orphanage in the countryside and befriended martial arts novels fan Ah Feng and Aisyah, who dreams of becoming a wrestler. When Hero’s mother did not pick him up as she had promised, the three friends embark on a journey to search for Hero’s family.

6. Table For Six

Release date: 9 February

Director: Sunny Chan

Cast: Dayo Wong, Stephy Tang, Louis Cheung, Ivana Wong, Minchen Lim, Peter Chan

Summary: Big brother Dai (Dayo Wong) wants nothing more than to have a good dinner with his two younger half-siblings (Louis Cheung and Peter Chan). But when Dai’s old flame (Stephy Tang) shows up as his brother’s girlfriend, the dinner plans quickly comes apart and it’s up to his girlfriend (Minchen Lim) to calm down the situation.

7. Chilli Laugh Story

Release date: 9 February

Director: Coba Cheng

Cast: Sandra Ng, Ronald Cheng, Gigi Leung, Edan Lui

Summary: The slapstick comedy film is inspired by director Coba Cheng’s family and how they built a chilli-sauce business during the pandemic to keep them sane working from home. While the arrangement was sweet at first, it soon gets on everyone’s nerves and long-hidden family conflicts start to bubble up spicier than the chilli sauce they sell.