The Joy Luck Club
1993
The story of four Chinese women living in America and how their futures are affected by their pasts. Based on the novel by Amy Tan. Read more
| Starring | Lauren Tom, France Nuyen, Tsai Chin, Ming-Na Wen |
|---|---|
| Director | Wayne Wang |
| Genres | Drama |
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The Joy Luck Club
The story of four Chinese women living in America and how their futures are affected by their pasts. Based on the novel by Amy Tan.
| Starring | Lauren Tom, France Nuyen, Tsai Chin, Ming-Na Wen, Kieu Chinh, Tamlyn Tomita, Melanie Chang, Lisa Lu, Rosalind Chao, Victor Wong |
|---|---|
| Director | Wayne Wang |
| Studio | WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 13 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 10 May 2004 Production year: 1993 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Faithfully adapted from Amy Tan's bestselling book, director Wayne Wang's moving yet witty melodrama mixes the stories of four Chinese-born mothers with those of their American-born daughters. Murder, suicide, betrayal and love are all captured, sometimes in a deeply affecting manner, and the drama is beautifully if sentimentally played by a cast which includes Kieu Chinh, France Nuyen, Wen Ming-Na, Lauren Tom and Tamlyn Tomita. Tan co-wrote the script with Rain Man scribe Ronald Bass, and if the result is a bit of a women's weepie, then at least it's an excellent one.
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A long, slick, mostly sentimental wallow in the past that fails to throw much light on the present or the future; it lacks the sense of culture clash and quirky humour evident in the director's earlier, low-budget films.
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Most helpful member's review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Dazzling!
A movie to enjoy alone with a pack of kleenex. It is just beautiful. Not recommended for insensitive souls.
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Most recent members' review
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Not a `cultural chick flick'
It isn't easy finding a great book-adapted film much less a good one, but this one succeeds; especially when you consider that adapted films at that time were not nearly as good as they have made it now.
A story that spans the lives of four Chinese women across three generations, it starts from the present and crosses back into time. We see what the mothers, and their mothers went through to give their daughters the things they never had. The lessons they try to impart, the struggles between mothers and daughters as they try to reconcile their cultural differences is by turns both funny and very touching. You certainly don't need to be Chinese to understand or identify with what the characters are going through.
I first saw this film in Canada and there were both men and women in the audience. By the end of the film, the floor was littered with more tissues than popcorn. The author, Amy Tan, writes with much sentiment, and this comes across on screen, so you must be in the mood for it. It's not an action film, nor a cultural chick-flick, but it would be a shame if you didn't set aside a good couple of hours with your best mates and your mums for this film. -
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