Luck is fickle but charm lasts, leading to a solid CNY crowd-pleaser.

Some movies aim to dazzle. Chinese New Year movies aim to comfort. Luck My Life knows exactly which camp it belongs to, and for better and worse, it plays the part faithfully.

Fresh from a Golden Horse–nominated turn as a devoted drag queen son in A Good Child, rising star Richie Koh steps into a much lighter register as Tian Cai, an arrogant and rash man who has never known hardship because luck has always been on his side. Born during a mahjong match his mother is playing, a gag amusingly staged in the film’s opening, Tian Cai grows up with a silver spoon and an impossibly blessed life. Flower pots miss him, stock investments soar, and mahjong victories come without effort. Luck isn’t something he earns; it simply follows him around.

That is, until he crosses paths with mahjong champion Gu Lei, played by Tay Ping Hui in a welcome return to full antagonist mode. Almost overnight, Tian Cai’s luck disappears, replaced by a relentless run of disasters that finally force him to confront a world where charm and fortune alone won’t save him. Naive and utterly unprepared for failure, Tian Cai learns that the only way to reverse his curse is to face Gu Lei again, and this time, without relying on luck.

To achieve this goal, he seeks out a mahjong school run by four eccentric instructors: Yang Shi Bin as the stern Principal Wu, Rurusama as the feline Cat, Nick Shen as Ji Ge, and Tan Ting Fong as Ah Shu. Later revealed to be embodiments of mahjong tiles themselves, the quartet form a delightfully odd ensemble. Their real-life mismatched backgrounds: veteran actor, radio DJ, actor, cosplayer-influencer, give the group a scrappy charm, even if their symbolic purpose is often spelled out a little too clearly.

One of the film’s more inspired touches comes early on with a beautifully animated origin story of mahjong and its social purpose. It’s a lovely sequence that gestures toward something deeper, though it never quite weaves itself meaningfully into the rest of the narrative beyond setting thematic intent. Like several ideas in the film, it feels more decorative than essential.

Despite its mahjong-heavy premise and poster art, Luck My Life isn’t really a gambling film. Anyone expecting high-stakes thrills in the vein of classic gambling dramas may be disappointed, where the matches lack tension, and the climactic tournament prioritises emotional resolution over strategic excitement. Instead, the film leans firmly into comedy and heart. The humour doesn’t always land, and a few beats are stretched longer than necessary, but the sincerity is unmistakable.

Richie Koh is ultimately the film’s strongest asset. He makes Tian Cai charming even at his most arrogant and genuinely sympathetic at his lowest point. Crucially, there’s an inherent kindness beneath the character’s smugness that keeps his arc from feeling punitive, and Koh navigates the tonal shifts with ease: we can’t wait to see how else he stretches himself on the silver screen.

The romance subplot, however, feels largely unnecessary. While Cynthia Li is pleasant as Xin Yi, Tian Cai’s former classmate, their relationship feels more like a genre obligation than an organic development. Still, there’s mild amusement in seeing which odd job she pops up in next as Tian Cai stumbles through his unlucky phase.

In the end, Luck My Life is exactly as good as a Chinese New Year movie needs to be. While it can be overstuffed and its humour doesn’t always land, the film’s sincerity and charm ultimately win out, thanks in no small part to its lead performance. It may play things safely, but as a Chinese New Year offering, it succeeds in being heartfelt, accessible, and uplifting.

Luck My Life opens 17th February in Singapore, in cinemas such as Golden Village