The film follows the trials and tribulations of Chef Huang (Namewee), an ethnic Chinese-Malaysian cook whose purist sensibilities and unwillingness to pander to local tastebuds leaves his cooking highly unappreciated by the natives. In order to get his life and dismal business back on track, he teams up with the furry-eyebrowed Xiao K (Karen Kong) on a road trip to hybridise and improve his cooking, so that he can help her win back her father`s business in a cooking contest.
If the premise sounds ludicrous, rest assure that it`s the most logical aspect of the show, as the film pays obvious tribute to the type of slapstick humour made famous by Stephen Chow, only without any of the wit apparent in the work of the master. The movie resorts to various racial caricatures, over-the-top costumes and some recurring comedic motifs to evoke hyuks in the audience, but is only half-successful in its endeavor. Karen Kong`s performance veers from mildly irritating to vaguely endearing, and Namewee, who also juggles directorial duties, doesn`t quite have his comic timing mastered as either actor or director.
That being said, however, the film has a naively innocent, good-hearted premise in its characterising racial differences as being as easily surmountable as mixing up the ingredients in a dish of nasi lemak. This, coupled with a slightly stronger second half of the film, makes Nasi Lemak 2.0 palatable for those of us who aren`t too `atas` (refined) about our tastes in either food or movies.
SUMMARY: Like eating at a roadside hawker stall enjoyable for those with a strong constitution, but just as likely to induce dysentery.
RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Raphael Lim