The Joy Luck Club (1993)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writers (WGA):

Amy Tan (novel)
Amy Tan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 November 1993 (Argentina)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The life histories of four Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other.

Plot Keywords:

China | Flashback | Child Abuse | Female Bonding | Chopstick

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Kieu Chinh	...	Suyuan Woo
Tsai Chin	...	Lindo Jong
France Nuyen	...	Ying-Ying St. Clair
Lisa Lu	...	An-Mei Hsu
Ming-Na	...	Jing-Mei 'June' Woo (as Ming-Na Wen)
Tamlyn Tomita	...	Waverly Jong
Lauren Tom	...	Lena St. Clair
Rosalind Chao	...	Rose Hsu Jordan
Chao Li Chi	...	Canning Woo
Melanie Chang	...	June (Age 9)
Victor Wong	...	Old Chong the Piano Teacher
Lisa Connolly	...	Singing Girl
Mai Vu	...	Waverly (Age 6-9)
Ying Wu	...	Lindo (Age 4)
Meijuan Xi	...	Lindo's Mother

MPAA:

Rated R for strong depiction of thematic material.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Peru:14 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #32643) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

China

Company:

Hollywood Pictures

Trivia:

In the novel, it is revealed that the real name of the character played by Ming-Na is Jing-Mei. On "ER" (1994), Ming-Na plays another character named Jing-Mei.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the first scene where young Ying Ying met her future husband, the guy opened a watermelon which was totally seedless. The scene should be in later 1930s or early 1940s, based on the context. Very unlikely there was any seedless watermelons available in China at the time. Japanese scientists started seedless research in lab in 1938. It won't be widely available even in Japan market till after WWII.

Quotes:

Rich: So, how'd your mom react when you told her about the wedding?
Waverly Jong: It never came up.
Rich: How come?
Waverly Jong: She'd rather get rectal cancer.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Joi Fuck Club (1993) (V)

Soundtrack:

Gamethon

One of the best films of 1993!

I think I feared seeing "The Joy Luck Club" because it just screamed chick flick all over the cover, but my mother kept insisting it was an excellent film that anyone could really enjoy. So, I let my guards down and I was pleasantly surprised by this uplifting and rewarding drama about mother's and daughter's. Just wanting what is best and growing up wisely. I know this sounds silly, but this film made me not only appreciate being an American even more, but it also made me fell better as a woman. The four "Auntie's" had such wisdom and I felt that their stories were so heart wrenching but true and realistic.

One of my friends is from China and she told me how women are treated there and it just broke my heart, watching this movie helped me realize more how much I should appreciate what I have. I even called my mother after the film and told her I loved her because she always tried her best to look out for me. The four stories of how the mother's made their journey to America and raised their daughters was very touching and the ending felt like it could only be a new beginning. I would highly recommend this movie for anyone, it's perfectly directed and acted.

8/10