Saving Face (2005)

Memorable, crazy movie

Just perfect...

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I thought this movie had quite a few hilarious comedic beats to it, but the emotional moments were also nicely placed.The movie touches on Chinese American community and family life, as well as generational conflict. At the same time it does not lose itself in the laden subjects, keeping its romantic or humorous side. Ultimately, I found the tone of the movie to be well-balanced.This movie is a mix of romantic comedy and family drama, but at its core the movie is about what it a modern Chinese-American family means, and it executes its vision excellently.

This comedy is about the impact of a pair of modern relationships on a traditional Chinese family in Flushing. It is amusing throughout, well acted and watchable.I found the story about Joan Chen the middle aged widow who finds herself knocked up quite funny. Joan is a versatile actress and it is nice to see her in a Chinese speaking role that is meant for Western audiences. The lesbian relationship of her daughter (Michele Kruseic) with a dancer (Lynn Chen) was a bit forced. Overall the dialog and situations are well written and the story comes together nicely.Overall entertaining and funny.

Saving Face is your usual coming out story about acceptance. There is another side plot thrown in which nicely matches the main story.It has a good story with likable characters. Most of the actors have done a good job. Joan Chen is the only one who shines. I was disappointed with performance of Michelle Krusiec though. She is the main lead and has the maximum screen time. I don't think that she was able to do justice to her character. Though it is billed as a romantic movie, I felt that the romance between the two leads was not fully explored. Despite its flaws, Saving Face is an engaging tale. And if you like romantic movies you should give it a go.

I liked just about everything about this. The characters, and the clash of expectations between older and younger generations of Chinese Americans, seemed completely true to life, and the sense of a community was well brought out. It is amazing that this is the director's first film (but she is older than she looks in the Behind the Scenes featurette). Particular pleasures were the grandmother's evident boredom with her husband's pomposities, Vivian's fumbling with Chinese, which she evidently didn't speak normally despite her background, the scene in the church, and the payoff. It's not entirely clear how old Wil is meant to be (given her mother's age, hardly out of her twenties, which seems young for the responsible position she seems to have in the hospital), and it was not made at all clear how Wil's mother had got into some kind of affair with Little Yu that went far enough for her to become pregnant. But overall, tremendous.