Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985)

In San Francisco, an immigrant Chinese widow welcomes the new year with some unhappiness: she's 62 now, she wants to make a trip to China to pay last respects to her ancestors, a fortune ... See full summary »

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writer:

Terrel Seltzer

Stars:

Laureen Chew, Kim Chew, Victor Wong

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laureen Chew	...	Geraldine Tam
Kim Chew	...	Mrs. Tam
Victor Wong	...	Uncle Tam
Ida F.O. Chung	...	Auntie May
Cora Miao	...	Julia
John Nishio	...	Richard
Amy Hill	...	Amy Tam
Keith Choy	...	Kevin Tam
Mary Chew	...	Old m.j. player
Nora Lee	...	Old m.j. player
Joan Chen	...	Young m.j. player
Rita Yee	...	Young m.j. player
George Woo	...	Bar patron
Elsa Cruz Pearson	...	Eliza
Helen Chew	...	Linda Tam

Storyline

In San Francisco, an immigrant Chinese widow welcomes the new year with some unhappiness: she's 62 now, she wants to make a trip to China to pay last respects to her ancestors, a fortune teller has told her this is the year she'll die, and a daughter, Geraldine, remains unmarried. Geraldine does have a boyfriend, but she's not sure she's ready for marriage, and, anyway, he lives in Los Angeles and Geraldine doesn't want to leave her mother alone in her declining years. Mrs. Tan's cheerful brother-in-law tries to help out. Is there any solution that will enable Mrs. Tan to hold onto her culturally-influenced and deep-seated hopes, yet keep those hopes from suffocating Geraldine?

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Plot Keywords:

asian american | independent film

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dim Sum - Etwas fürs Herz

Filming Locations:

Chinatown, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CIM, Project A Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Dim Sum Take Out (1988)

User Reviews

Warm, sentimental and winning

This is a sweet old-fashioned and knowing valentine to Chinese American family life in San Francisco. In many ways, it seems like a predecessor to the Joy Luck Club, complete with Joan Chen as a young Mah Jongg player. The pace here is somewhat leisurely, but the vignettes are warm and satisfying enough to sustain interest throughout.