Longtime readers of this site would probably think that a movie based around booze and the consumption thereof would be right up this semi-drunken reviewer's alley. Well, in most cases, you'd probably be right. But, despite being co-helmed by Herman Yau, Cocktail's execution is stunningly average, not really offering anything new or all that interesting to the prospective viewer.

Cocktail's story revolves around a bar called Half-Mortal (at least in the subtitles -- the signage actually says Heaven/Hell), its' owner, Candy (Candy Lo), and the two bartenders, Stella (Race Wong) and Paul (Endy Chow). The trio deals with love and relationships, all while swimming in a sea of sweet sweet alcohol. And that's about it. There's nothing deep or meaningful present to the proceedings.

Sometimes, there would be nothing wrong with that. But Cocktail's structure would seem to lend itself to a picture that goes more in depth into its' characters, instead of ultimately keeping them as two-dimensional as the paper the script was written on. One would probably be right in not expecting a film like this to be the next Hamlet, but it would be nice to have something more to chew on than how cute the lead actresses are.

In the end, there is nothing egregiously wrong with Cocktail and it's probably worth a watch if you're the type of viewer that's into the subset of Hong Kong dramas that features young Cantopop stars, at least if they go into matters with lowered expectations. It provides at least some entertainment, albeit in a totally nondescript way that'll leave absolutely nothing in your grey matter in the way of lasting memories.

RATING: 5