by Edwin Yeo

Hey S'pore! You've got Mrs Bean

You may not realise it, but we could have a Mr Bean in our midst.
Or rather a Mrs Bean.

She's none other than Liang Po Po.

And the one mentioning her in the same breath as Mr Bean is Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat.

Yun Fat, who is in town to promote his latest Hollywood movie, The Corruptor, is sure that Liang Po Po- The Movie will be the box-office champion here during the Chinese New Year season

Though he has yet to see Singapore's favourite granny in action, he has heard enough about her to believe that she could be a hit beyond our shores.

Asked during a press conference yesterday is Liang Po Po could give The Corruptor a run for its money in the international market, Yun Fat, 43, shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know," he said. " But don't look down at Liang Po Po, it might be a character which the world can recognise as Singapore. Just look at Mr Bean."

Like Liang Po Po, Mr Bean, created by British comedian Rowan Atkinson, began life on television before switching to the big screen.

Mr Bean has become an icon for British comedy around the world. If Yun Fat's prediction comes true, it will be a major coup for Singapore comedy and film-making.

Liang Po Po has the right connections to make it overseas. It's the first Singapore film to have an international distributor, United International Pictures, which has plans to market it in the region.

SLUGGING IT OUT

This will be its first test on whether the world is ready for an asthmatic, hunched old lady who just can't help getting into trouble.

Liang Po Po, The Corruptor and Jackie Chan's Gorgeous are expected to slug it out at the box office in the weeks to come. At sneak previews last weekend, Liang Po Po grossed a record $184,000 while The Corruptor grossed about $97,000. When told of this, Yun Fat said: "Congratulations! Congratulations! I think it's great. I want to see Singapore movies beat all the Hollywood movies and Hongkong movies in Singapore. I feel very proud," said a beaming Yun Fat, whose wife Jasmine Tan is Singaporean. On why he thought Liang Po Po would outgross The Corruptor, he said: " Liang Po Po is a comedy right? This movie (The Corruptor) is a bit depressing. During festive season, comedies usually do better, more family entertainment." He also noted that Jack Neo, who plays Liang Po Po, and his gang had grossed about $6 million in their first movie, Money No Enough, an achievement even for a Hong Kong film. Later, he cited another reason when meeting 500 fans in Great World City before the premiere of The Corruptor.

"Everyone has seen Chow Yun Fat act before, so maybe it'll not be so fresh."

"Also, I'm speaking English in this movie while Liang Po Po has more local dialect, which should relate better to the audience here."

The Corruptor opens here tomorrow.

Caption 1: "I'm very happy that Chow Yun Fat now knows who Liang Po Po is, even is he doesn't know who Jack Neo is. I'd like to thank him for giving me the face." Jack Neo, responding to Chow Yun Fat's comments about Liang Po Po.