Conference bookie::movies

    
    	I saw it last week with family. Two of us had read the book, one
    relative had not. She felt somewhat lost trying to follow the lives of
    8 different characters, all having flashbacks. For those of you
    unfamiliar with the story, it is about 4 families, or rather, four
    mother-daughter pairs, coming together to send off a young woman whose
    mother had recently died. The woman is going to China to be reunited
    with 2 older sisters she never knew she had. During the film, we
    explore the lives of each woman. Each of the mothers has had a
    startlingly painful past in China, each of the girls, all born in the
    States and American to the core, are caught up in finding their own way
    as adults AND coming to terms with their relationships with their
    mothers, who have very non-American viewpoints and expectations mixed
    in with a well-spring of wisdom that they haven't figured out how to
    give their daughters.
    
    	The movie has some strong points. Each of the adults is
    well-portrayed (except perhaps the mother who marries a handsome but
    sadistic womanizer). The relationships between mother and daughter,
    including the struggles and the crystalization of understanding, are
    also well captured. And, for those who care, the movie is ENTIRELY true
    to the book. Some stuff is left out, but nothing is really changed.
    
    On the down side, we were disappointed by the number of Eurasians cast 
    as Chinese. I can't explain this personal need for "ethnic purity", but
    this bothered us. Also, the instances with children seemed awkward. The
    girls came across as sassy-mouthed brats who should have been smacked.
    They delivered their lines too coyly, and with no innocence. They
    needed to be older, or else their lines needed to be more suitable for
    6-year olds. I can't imagine a six-year old saying "Mom, you're
    embarrassing me. If you want people to pay attention to you, go out and
    do something yourself instead of trying to go through me for it." Even
    if 6 year olds of the 1990's say this, I can't believe that 6 year olds
    in the 1970's did. The ending itself is a tear-jerker, but this seems
    pulled out of you by the music and the cinematography. Too glitzy, too
    contrived. It would have been a better ending if I hadn't felt that I
    was being manipulated to tears.
    
    So, with that said, I'd give the movie a *** out of *****. It's no
    Steel Magnolias. It *is* a valuable glimpse into the world of Chinese-
    American women... but the book is better. And frankly, I enjoyed The
    Wedding Banquet more than The Joy Luck Club; too bad some people won't
    want to see a film that involves gay men. However, as a first non-Kung
    Fu, mainstream movie about Chinese-Americans, this was a good
    introduction.
     

    I saw The Joy Luck Club earlier this month when it first opened.  I
    loved it and would give it 5 stars out of 5.  I, also, read the book
    back when it first came out in paperback and loved that, too.  As with
    the book, I was completely caught up in the movie and enjoyed the whole
    thing very much.  
    
    Although I thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding Banquet, I would have to say
    that I enjoyed The Joy Luck Club even more.  But, both would rate in my
    Top 5 movies of 1993, so far.
    
    I especially enjoyed the flashbacks telling of the mother's lives and
    experiences back in China.  And, I, also, really liked the exploration
    of the conflicts experienced by immigrant parents who find themselves
    raising children in a completely different culture from the one they
    were raised in.  
    
    It didn't occur to me that the children seemed too bratty, and I have
    to admit that I also didn't notice that there were too many Eurasians
    in the film.  (I'm not sure I can always tell the difference between an
    Asian and a Eurasian.)
    
    All in all, I loved the movie and plan to see it again.  At the end of
    the movie, myself and both of the other people I saw it with were all
    crying.
    
    Also, I loved the story about the feather.
    
    Lorna

There was some discussion in here about "women's movies" a while ago; I think
this is the best example I have ever seen.  It is a Hollywood movie about
women's lives, with the stories told from the women's point of view.

I found myself bored and uninterested in parts of the film, and thought much of
it unfortunately soap opera-ish and conventional.  The American characters all
seemed to have comfortable middle-class lives, and their personal plights
were pretty mild reprises of those of their mothers.

I did enjoy some of the stories set in China, and found the final scene, of the
meeting of the sisters, affecting, despite the relentless strings on the
soundtrack.  

-Stephen

    
    
    Most of the time I enjoyed this movies to tears.  It was a
    little difficult to follow the constant swiching between scenes
    of daughters and mothers as young women.  I didnt mind the mix of
    ethnicity used in portraying the characters.  Even though I'm the son of
    a Japanese mother, I found the unsaid messages of an asian mothers very
    simular.  My girl friend who is of Chinese heritage, was also driven 
    to the piano as a child and said the movie was very close to 
    her upbringing. 
    
    

    Re. -1 
    
    I can assume they followed the book if there was constant switching
    from character to character.  It was difficult to follow the four
    mother-daughter relationships.
    
    I'm looking forward to seeing this one, sigh, on video cassette.
    
    Patricia

    
    a friend of mine said that she laughed where she was supposed to
    laugh, she cried where she was supposed to cry, she hated herself,
    and she loved it.
    
    

    I've seen THE JOY LUCK CLUB six times (yes, six!), read and studied the
    book, and the movie was my personal favorite of 1993. I still am in
    shock that it was entirely overlooked by the Academy! If for nothing
    else, Best Adapted Screenplay comes to mind. I also thought that Auntie
    Lin's character would have been nominated for best supporting actress,
    and that the movie was worthy of a Best Picture nomination.
    
    I took an English class last semester and had to choose from a number of
    novels for an in-depth study. I chose THE JOY LUCK CLUB mostly because
    it was a soon-to-be-released film, and I'd rather go to the movies than
    _study_ the book ;). I saw the movie twice for pure pleasure (and "10
    hankies" both times). Then I skimmed the book, saw the movie again, and
    took notes this time. When I finally got "into" the book, I couldn't
    put it down. Having the pictures of the women in my mind really helped
    in reading the book. I had made notations in the margins that were
    matching my notes from the movie. After my intense reading of the book,
    I took a day of vacation and saw the movie twice, back to back, making
    notes the first time but watching for pleasure the second. Then I wrote
    my paper, turned it in, and went to the movie yet another time. 
    
    I still feel the same way about the movie, and now the book as well. This
    was an incredible film!
    
    For my assignment, I had to choose three or more themes that ran
    throughout the book, find literary critics that agreed with me, and
    develop a research paper based on those themes and quote supporting
    passages from the book. I became so familiar with the movie, I could
    have used direct quotes from _it_!
    
    Absolutely 10 ********** / 10 hankies!
    
    Catherine
    

    I was just told that there was a sequel to this movie... but the person
    the told me this couldn't remember what the name of it was...
    
    Is there a sequel? And if so what is the name of it please?
    
    Much thanks!
    
    Michael

    I've heard nothing of a sequel.  Amy Tan (who wrote the novel) wrote a
    second novel; perhaps that's what they meant.  (Although the second
    novel is not a sequel.)

    Hmm.. okay, thanks. 
    
    Someone also just told me that there are rumors going around that
    someone is GOING to make a sequel.. but I 'll wait until I read it to
    believe it....
    
    :) Michael

    Just rented this one on video and my wife and I both thought it to be
    excellent. Every once in awhile you see a film of this quality and it
    always makes me wonder, "Now how could you improve on that?"  Liked it
    from beginning to end. Very touching film.

    Whatta good movie.  Can't really say much more about it than that.
    
    
    **** out of *****
    
    
    kim