Lucky Loser gets a new life

Lucky Loser (Mak Tae), the sports comedy that was yanked from release back in May over diplomatic concerns with Laos, will be re-edited and released in October, reports Soopsip in today's edition of The Nation.

The film will now concern a tiny, fictional Southeast Asian country called Aa-wee (which is close enough to the Thai pronunciation of Laos that the dialogue can be convincingly looped). All traces of Laos' flags and national emblems are being removed through editing or through the reshooting of some scenes. About 5 percent of the movie will be changed.

Initially, it looked as if GMM Tai Hub, which spent around 60 million baht on the film, would have to permanently shelve it.

Executives at the production company say they believe the new version won’t cause any trouble with Thailand's neighbours. Ahead of the film's initial release on May 18, the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic expressed concerns over the movie, saying it might be humiliating to Laotian people and the country's real national football team.

The original story is about a talented Thai football coach who is turned down by national squad. When his aunt wins first prize in the lottery, she decides to sponsor the Laotian team, which beats the Thai squad in the qualifying round and makes it through to the World Cup.

The Laotian players are put through their paces, being forced to train in refrigerator containers in order to acclimate themselves to European weather. They also dye their hair (including their armpits) blond, to emulate their favorite European football stars.

(Cross-published at Rotten Tomatoes)