The Joy Luck Club (1993)

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:

Cameo: [Amy Tan]chatting with guests just beyond a doorway during the first party scene.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Jun is at the piano for the recital, her fingers do not come down in time with the start of the music cue.

Quotes:

Ying Ying: By then I realized what kind of man I had married... happiest when he was cruel.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

One Fine Day

affecting

It's surprising they managed to make a movie out of The Joy Luck Club, which was, after all, a series of anecdotes by 8 different people. But somehow they did it, seamless weaving in and out of the characters' reminiscences.

Joy Luck Club could reasonably be described as a chick flick - it is, after all, a film about a bunch of women and their feelings - but that would be a disservice. "Chick flick" has become a somewhat derogatory term, partially because it was a term created by guys who find women and their feelings annoying, but to a great extent because most movies in this class are shoddy pieces of tripe like "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." If movies of women and their feelings were all this intelligent, insightful and affecting I doubt anyone would have even coined the term "chick flick." This is a movie of honest emotion that leaves you with a sense of fulfillment, a rebuke to all those manufactured, syrupy women's movies that Hollywood churns out. Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommended.