Stephen Chow Best Movies: The Master of Slapstick Comedy in Asia

Understanding Stephen Chow: How He Tells a Joke

You think you know comedy?

In Hong Kong or even the larger part of Chinese-speaking communities, Chow has built a whole world where the joke and the sadness live in the same room, so you laugh and then feel weirdly punched in the chest a second later.

The very best Stephen Chow movies do this constantly, be it through goofy kung fu, absurd gadgets, or ridiculous soccer moves.

Compare that to most Hong Kong comedy of the era, which either played it safe or leaned hard into slapstick with no soul.

In a way, he’s performing a whole attitude toward a confusing, uncertain world, wrapped in silliness so you don’t notice how sharp it actually is.

Also, if you’re interested in comedic movies like Stephen Chow, check out our coming soon list for more of these movies coming to TGV Cinemas.

Our Picks For The Best Stephen Chow Movies

Stephen Chow has a whole catalogue of awesome movies, so breaking it down to just 10 is no easy feat.

Still, here is what we gathered to be his top 10, both from our own opinions and from the wide consensus.

1. Kung Fu Hustle 功夫 (2004)

“天下武功，无坚不摧，唯快不破“

Release date: Dec 23, 2004
Cast: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Huang Shengyi

Here’s the thing you need to accept: this movie makes zero sense on paper, and yet it works better than half the “serious” action films you’ve sat through.

A washed-up wannabe gangster stumbles into a rundown apartment complex full of secret kung fu masters, and suddenly you’re watching 1,000-year-old fighting techniques go head-to-head with cartoon-level slapstick.

You laugh, then you get hit with a gut-punch of a heart you didn’t see coming. That’s the trick Stephen Chow pulls on you every single time, and it’s exactly why this sits at the top of best Stephen Chow movies lists.

Nobody else blends absurd comedy with genuine emotion this well, so don’t act surprised when you find yourself tearing up during a kung fu comedy.

2. Shaolin Soccer 少林足球 (2001)

“冇夢想，同條鹹魚有咩分別”

Release date: 12 Jul, 2001
Cast: Stephen Chow, Vicki Zhao, Ng Man-tat

A washed-up ex-soccer star teams up with a Shaolin monk to build a team out of his martial arts brothers.

Sounds ridiculous? It is. That’s the point.

You get flying kicks, exploding soccer balls, and moves that break every law of physics you learned in school. But underneath all that chaos, there’s a scrappy underdog story about people the world gave up on, trying anyway.

That mix of dumb comedy and real heart is exactly why this movie became a legend across Asia and beyond.

BTW, did you realise that the final sequence of the movie, the one where Zhao Wei saved a shot, the orchestra from The Lion King was played!

Did You Know: For The Shaolin Soccer Sequel Kung Fu Soccer, TGV Made Exclusive Character Combs For Fans!

These combs were exclusively made based on the characters from Kung Fu Soccer and the legend himself – Stephen Chow!

Further reading: Cecilia Chung Support for Kung Fu Soccer

3. A Chinese Odyssey Part II: Cinderella 大话西游之大圣娶亲 (1995)

“曾经有一份真诚的爱情放在我面前，我没有珍惜… 如果上天能够给我一个再来一次的机会，我会对那个女孩子说三个字：我爱你。”

Release date: Feb 4, 1995
Cast: Stephen Chow, Athena Chu, Ng Man-tat, Karen Mok, Ada Choi, Law Kar-ying

Editor’s note: This is the second part of a 2-part movie. We HIGHLY recommend watching the first one before watching this.

You laugh for the first hour. Slapstick, silly wigs, monkey nonsense, the usual chaos you expect from Stephen Chow. Then that quote hits, and suddenly you are not laughing anymore; you are just sitting there, staring at the screen, feeling something you did not sign up for.

Here, Stephen Chow builds you a joke, lets you get comfortable, then pulls the floor out from under you. This is exactly why fans call it one of the best Stephen Chow movies, not because it is the funniest, but because it dares to be sad when you least expect it.

People still quote that line decades later and have since developed a very strong cult following. It is said that during our younger days, we view the movie as a comedy, but once aged, the movie is actually a tragedy.

Further reading: Journey to the West Movies Ranked

4. Flirting Scholar 唐伯虎点秋香 (1993)

“对不起，我读书少，你不要骗我”

Release date: Jul 1, 1993
Cast: Stephen Chow, Gong Li, Chan Pak-cheung, James Wong

Flirting Scholar is loosely based on a real Ming Dynasty poet, but let’s be honest, nobody’s watching this for accuracy.

You’re watching because Chow turns heartbreak and rejection into slapstick gold, and somehow it still feels sincere underneath all the nonsense.

That’s why people still quote it decades later, as it has some of the wittiest character dialogue within Chow’s movie arsenal.

5. The God of Cookery 食神 (1996)

“只要用心，人人都可以是食神”

Release date: Dec 21, 1996
Cast: Stephen Chow, Karen Mok, Vincent Kok, Ng Man-tat

You watch this thinking it’s just another silly Stephen Chow comedy, then somewhere between the fake blood and the pissing shrimp jokes, it hits you in the chest. That’s the trick.

He makes you laugh first, then sneaks the sincerity in when you’re not looking.

People love this one because it doesn’t just poke fun at fame and ego, it actually earns its emotional moments.

You go from laughing at nonsense to genuinely caring about a guy selling barbecue rice on the street. If that’s not proof Stephen Chow knows exactly what he’s doing, nothing is.

6. King of Comedy 喜剧之王 (1999)

“其實我係一個演員”

Release date: Feb 13, 1999
Cast: Stephen Chow, Karen Mok, Cecilia Cheung, Ng Man-tat

Super funny the first half, and it gets all sentimental in the second.

Wan Tin-sau teaches acting lessons in a community center by day, works as a background extra by night, and somehow you end up rooting for this guy who has nothing going for him.

People say it’s basically Chow’s own origin story, and that’s exactly why it hits different.

Everyone loves it because it’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just honest about failure, love, and chasing something everyone tells you to quit chasing. You laugh, then you sit there thinking about your own life choices.

7. Hail the Judge 九品芝麻官 (1994)

“官字兩個口，一個講衰人，一個講衰自己”

Release date: Mar 31, 1994
Cast: Stephen Chow, Sharla Cheung Man, Ng Man-tat, Collin Chou

This is a courtroom drama/movie wearing a clown suit.

You get murder, corruption, and framed innocents—heavy stuff, right? But Chow makes you laugh through all of it, then sneaks in a gut-punch about real justice when you’re not looking.

People still love this one because it doesn’t pretend to be smarter than it is. It’s loud, it’s silly, and it knows. Maybe his most nonsensical one yet.

8. Love on Delivery 破坏之王 (1994)

“只要有信心，人就会变得,力量的”

Release date: Feb 3, 1994
Cast: Stephen Chow, Christy Chung, Ng Man-Tat

This one sticks because it’s dumb on purpose, but it hits you right in the feelings when you least expect it.

One second you’re laughing at a Garfield mask fight scene, the next second you’re thinking about every time you got humiliated trying to impress someone you liked.

You don’t watch this for perfection, you watch it because it’s honest about being ridiculous, and somehow that honesty is what makes you believe the guy when he finally throws that last punch.

9. From Beijing with Love 国产凌凌漆 (1994)

“我读书少，你不要骗我”

Release date: Oct 13, 1994
Cast: Stephen Chow, Anita Yuen, Law Kar-ying, Fennie Yuen, Chin Kar-lok

You want to know why people still rewatch this during Chinese New Year?

It takes a serious genre and turns it into complete nonsense, but somehow the guy still gets your sympathy. He’s broke, he’s incompetent, and he sells pork on the side while saving China.

This is Stephen Chow doing what he does best: making you feel something real underneath all the silliness.

If you ask people to name Stephen Chow’s best movies ever, this one always comes up, and now you know exactly why.

10. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 西游·降魔篇 (2013)

“去者不留，留者不去”

Release date: Feb 10, 2013
Cast: Wen Zhang, Shu Qi, Huang Bo, Show Lo

Chow just handed you a monk who can’t fight, a demon hunter woman who’s basically stalking him, and a pig monster running a fake restaurant. It’s another wild take on the Journey to the West story, but it’s from Stephen Chow, and he already has success reiterating it, so it’s a pass here.

Results speak for themselves because the movie made USD 215 million and became the highest-grossing Chinese-language film ever, so who’s laughing now?

You get monster fights, slapstick nonsense, a guy singing nursery rhymes at a fish demon, and somehow it still ends up sincere. Audiences ate it up because it respects the classic story while poking fun at it, and honestly, isn’t that what you want from a prequel nobody asked for but everybody needed?