Zone Pro Site

Zone Pro Site
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chen Yu-hsun
Screenplay by	Chen Yu-hsun
Produced by	Lee Lieh Yeh Ju-feng
Starring	Kimi Hsia Tony Yang Lin Mei-hsiu
Cinematography	Chienn Hsiang
Edited by	Cheung Ka-wai
Music by	Owen Wang
Production companies	1 Production Film Ocean Deep Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Taiwan
Release dates	July 12, 2013 (2013-07-12) (Taipei Film Festival) August 16, 2013 (2013-08-16) (Taiwan)
Running time	145 minutes
Country	Taiwan
Languages	Mandarin NT$70 million[1]
Box office	NT$305 million (Taiwan)

Zone Pro Site (Chinese: 總舖師; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chóng-phò͘-sai; lit. "Bandoh master chef"), also known as Zone Pro Site: The Moveable Feast, is a 2013 Taiwanese comedy film directed by Chen Yu-hsun, starring Kimi Hsia, Tony Yang and Lin Mei-hsiu.

Plot

Aspiring model Wan rejects her late father Master Fly Spirit's dying wish to inherit his legendary culinary expertise, but fails countless auditions in Taipei and is left saddled with her ex-boyfriend's debt. Returning home to Tainan to flee debt collectors, she learns that her family's traditional outdoor banquet catering business has been reduced to a single noodle stand managed by her well-meaning but inept stepmother Puffy, who recently lost a bet with her late husband's former apprentice, rival chef Tsai.

When an elderly couple seek Fly Spirit to cater for their upcoming wedding, Wan impulsively accepts the job despite having lost her father's prized cookbook to a vagrant. With the help of a wandering gourmet doctor named Hai and Fly Spirit's own former master, Master Tiger Nose, Wan and Puffy begin recreating the lost recipes. Local businessman Chairman Hsu is impressed by their nostalgic dish of Fried Rice Noodles, and encourages them to take part in the National Catering Contest, with a one million dollar first prize that would help cover Wan's debt and fame that would restore the family business to its former glory.

Wan and Hai grow closer, but become estranged after an argument over Wan's reluctance to embrace her late father's legacy and Hai's past as a convicted felon. To complicate matters, Wan's debt collectors come calling and insist on accompanying them to the catering contest, to ensure they receive the prize money. Meanwhile, Hai encounters his mentor, the paroled gangster and infamous underground chef Master Ghost Head, who recruits him into Chef Tsai's team for the competition.

Arriving in Taipei, Wan and Puffy brave through multiple rounds of the catering contest, assisted by Tiger Nose, his caregiver Rosemary, an eccentric trio of students, and surreptitious help from Hai, as well as the two debt collectors press-ganged into being kitchen stooges. Between rounds, Wan has numerous encounters with the vagrant, who is revealed to be Master Silly Mortal, another famed chef who now cooks exclusively for the homeless. Silly Mortal returns the remnants of Fly Spirit’s cookbook to Wan, offers her hot meals and sage wisdom, as well as teaching her the true meaning of traditional outdoor banquet catering.

Although Wan ultimately loses the final round to Tsai, she restores her family’s reputation and gains satisfaction from successfully catering for the elderly newlyweds' banquet, as well as being rewarded a lucrative government contract to supply railway boxed lunches as second prize. The Stooges write off Wan's debt, revealing it to be part of a scam, and join her and Puffy in their new business venture. Finally, Hai visits Wan's new store and reconciles with her.

Cast

• Kimi Hsia as Wan, an unsuccessful model who sets out to restore her family's catering business
• Tony Yang as Hai, a self-styled "gourmet doctor" who improves the dishes of struggling restaurants
• Lin Mei-hsiu as Ai-Fong (Puffy), Wan's loudmouthed but well-meaning stepmother
• Bamboo Chen as Stooge A, a debt collector unexpectedly recruited into helping Wan
• Chen Wan-hao as Stooge B, a fellow debt collector to Stooge A also recruited by Wan
• Ko I-chen as Master Fly Spirit, one of three legendary master chefs and Wan's late father
• Hsi Hsiang as Master Ghost Head, the second of three legendary master chef and a former convicted felon, as well as Hai's mentor
• Wu Nien-jen as Master Silly Mortal, the third legendary master chef and a drifter
• Mi Ling as Tsai, Master Fly Spirit's former apprentice and Wan's rival in the National Catering Competition
• Tuo Hsien as Master Tiger Nose, Master Fly Spirit's senile former master
• Love Fang as Rosemary, Master Tiger Nose's Indonesian caregiver
• Lu Fu-Lu as Chairman Hsu, a local businessman nostalgic for the Fried Rice Noodles from his youth

The film also features Hsu Chen-Te, Chen Yen-Tso, and Chein Yu-An as the "Animals on Call", a trio of resourceful and internet-savvy students who frequently aid Wan. Chen Po-Wen and Pai Ming-Hua appear as the elderly couple whose request for a banquet at their upcoming wedding sets Wan off on her quest. Wang Tzu-Chiang and Lai Pei-Ying appear as Mr and Mrs. Wang, proprietors of a nearby restaurant with a family secret soy sauce recipe. Yang Li-Yin, Shan Cheng-Ju, and Hsieh yu-Wei appears as Judges Jiang, Liu, and King, a trio of food critics presiding over the National Catering Competition. Wu Pong-fong appears as Master Tiger Nose's master in the flashback framing story set in rural Taiwan.

Singer-songwriter Ma Nien-hsien, who performed a number of songs in the film's official soundtrack, makes a guest appearance as a taxi driver, while Rhydian Vaughan cameos as a ukulele street musician, although their scenes were ultimately cut from the film and instead shown in the credits.

Soundtrack

Reception

It was the 6th highest-grossing film of 2013 in Taiwan, with NT$305 million.^[2]

Film Business Asia's Derek Elley gave the film a rating of 8 out of 10.^[3]

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Zone Pro Site at
  IMDb