| Table for Six | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 飯戲攻心 |
| Simplified Chinese | 饭戏攻心 |
| Literal meaning | The Rice Scene Attacking the Heart |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Fàn xì gōngxīn |
| Jyutping | Faan6 hei3 gung1 sam1 |
| Directed by | Sunny Chan |
| Written by | Sunny Chan |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Meteory Cheung Yu-Hon |
| Edited by |
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| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Anle Videos |
Release dates |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | est.HK$74.54 million (US$9.59 million)[1][2] |
Table for Six (Chinese:飯戲攻心; lit:Heart Attack) is a 2022 Hong Kongcomedy film written and directed bySunny Chan. It was written as a sequel to the 2015 short filmTable for Three.[3] The film is centered around the classical Chinese motifs of shared meals and dysfunctional family ties. It was initially scheduled to be released on 1 February 2022, the first day of the Lunar New Year, but it was postponed until 8 September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
It was selected at the 24th edition of theFar East Film Festival held from 22 April 2022 to 30 April 2022, where it had its world premiere and its nomination for Best Screenplay Award.[6][7] Later it was also invited to the21st New York Asian Film Festival in the crowd pleasures section, where it had its North American premiere on 23 July.[8]
A thematic sequel to the film,Table For Six 2 [zh], was released on 9 February 2024 during Chinese New Year's Eve.
In the comedy, three brothers reside in a home that they have inherited from their late parents. The eldest brother, Steve, is theoretically the man of the house but is constantly criticised by his two younger brothers, Bernard and Lung, for his decisions, the inedible meals he cooks, and his complicated romantic encounters. To prepare for a family reunion dinner, Steve seeks the help of Lung’s girlfriend, Josephine, and wins back their hearts for a while, until Monica, his former lover and Bernard’s new girlfriend, shows up. The unexpected visit of "Meow", a web idol and Steve’s part-time girlfriend, further escalates the siblings' conflict.[9]
In addition to the main cast,Louis Koo,Kenny Wong,Jennifer Yu, Tony Wu,Louise Wong,Philip Keung, Locker Lam,Ansonbean, Ng Siu Hin andLing Man-lung make cameo appearances in a promotionaleaster egg.[10]
The film was initially planned to be released on 1 February 2022 but was postponed until 8 September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was selected at the 24th edition ofFar East Film Festival held from 22 April 2022 to 30 April 2022.[6][7]
It was invited at the21st New York Asian Film Festival, where it was screened at Asia Society on July 23 for its North American premiere.[8][9]
Table for Six has grossed a total of US$19.75 million worldwide combining its box office gross from Hong Kong (US$5.53),[11] and China (US$15.79 million).[12]
As of 25 September 2022[update] the film is thesecond highest-grossing, Hong Kong-produced film released in the year 2022 with gross of HK$42,961,378.[1]
In the five weeks since the opening of the film, the cumulative box office exceeded 74.54 million Hong Kong dollars, breaking the box office record ofAnita of 62.52 million, becoming theNo. 3 highest-grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong.[13]
Tara Judah ofScreen Daily reviewing the film forFar East Film Festival stated that "Sunny Chan serves up a light-hearted, soft-boiled comedy about misguided romance." Concluding Judah wrote, "Chan plays every narrative beat for laughs. While this approach makes the film easy to digest, it also means it misses out on the emotional payoff that comes with slightly higher – or at least somewhat consequential – stakes."[14]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 24thUdine Far East Film Festival | Best Screenplay Award | Table for Six | Nominated | [4][15] |
| 2023 | Hong Kong Film Award | Best Director | Sunny Chan | Nominated | [16][17] |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Louis Cheung | Nominated | |||
| Peter Chan | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ivana Wong | Won | |||
| Lin Min Chen | Nominated | ||||
| Best Editing | Cheung Ka Fai, Cheng Wai Lun | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Irving Cheung, Leung Tsz Yin | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Film Score | Alan Wong Ngai Lun, Janet Yung Wai Ying | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Film Song | "I love you so much" Composer & Vocal Artist：Ivana Wong Lyricist：Sunny Chan | Nominated | |||
| Best New Director | Sunny Chan | Nominated |
