Film Forum

Mon: 2:30 ONLY

(1993) “A wonderful tearjerker about four young Chinese-American women (Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamilyn Tomita, and Ming-na Wen) in San Francisco and their Chinese immigrant mothers (Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, and France Nuyen). Adapted from Amy Tan's best-selling novel by the author and Ron Bass, and directed by Wayne Wang, it's a story (or more precisely, four interwoven stories) told mainly in flashbacks. Wang, whose previous work has reflected the influence of both Ozu (Dim Sum) and Godard (Life Is Cheap), seems to have fallen under the spell of Mizoguchi here, and this model serves him well. At once fascinating for its detailed lore about Chinese customs and legacies and very moving in its realization, the film builds into a highly emotional epic about what it means to be both Chinese and American.” – Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader. DCP. Approx. 138 mins.

Reviews

“As directed simply and forcefully by Wayne Wang, with a screenplay skillfully written by Ms. Tan and Ronald Bass, The Joy Luck Club is both sweeping and intimate, a lovely evocation of changing cultures and enduring family ties. Admirers of the best-selling novel will be delighted by the graceful way it has been transferred to the screen. Those unfamiliar with the book will simply appreciate a stirring, many-sided fable, one that is exceptionally well told.”
– Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“The Joy Luck Club comes rushing off the screen in a torrent of memories, as if its characters have been saving their stories for years, waiting for the right moment to share them… Many different actresses are used to play the daughters and mothers at different ages, and there are many stories, but the movie proceeds with perfect clarity… like a flowering of talent that has been waiting so long to be celebrated. It is also one of the most touching and moving of the year's films.” 
– Roger Ebert

“Working as a creative troika, Tan, co-screenwriter Ronald Bass (an Oscar winner for Rain Man) and director Wayne Wang have kept the quiet simplicity of style that is the core of Tan’s book, honed and focused its emotional impact, and not attempted to soften the bitterness of the conflicts it portrays.”
– Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

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