Rating of
2/4
Needed to be More Inclusive
Franz Patrick - wrote on 08/23/08
It’s refreshing to see a film that is written and directed by an Asian woman, with a cast that consists of predominantly Asians, in America that is not necessarily about assimilation of race. Instead, it’s more about an observation of Asian society (specifically Chinese): how they deal with what’s going on about other people, social hierarchy in a modern world, finding love, and revealing one’s sexuality to her loved ones, despite approval and cultural expectations. I also liked that the main character is a woman surgeon who doesn’t necessarily completely girly or completely manly. She lies somewhere in between, which is a good thing, because it is more common than the extremes. Although it’s a heartfelt movie and there are a few things to admire about it, sometimes I found myself wondering what the core of the movie is truly about. There are so many things that are going on, to the point where it’s distracting and digressing. The movie felt longer than it is due to unnecessary scenes that the plot could have done without. Also, some of my friends who are not Asian didn’t get some of the jokes. Although they are not the core audience, for a movie to be able to cross boundaries, everyone should be able to relate most of the time. I don’t think this picture was successful at it. Still, this is not a bad first directoral and writing debut from Alice Wu. With a sharper and leaner material, I think she will get stronger as a writer and director over time.
