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The Joy Luck Club (1993)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Release Date:
25 November 1993 (Argentina)
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Plot:
The life histories of four Asian women and their daughters reflect and guide each other. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
China
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Flashback
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Child Abuse
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Female Bonding
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Chopstick
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Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.
Another 2 wins
&
4 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
Interview with Ming-Na
(From AfterEllen.com. 17 November 2009, 10:37 PM, PST)
Dog Ears Music: Volume Ninety-Seven
(From Huffington Post. 6 November 2009, 9:28 AM, PST)
(From AfterEllen.com. 17 November 2009, 10:37 PM, PST)
Dog Ears Music: Volume Ninety-Seven
(From Huffington Post. 6 November 2009, 9:28 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Different strokes for different folks
more (87 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | 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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for strong depiction of thematic material.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
139 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Towards the end of the movie, June can be seen showing an elderly couple out after the party. She bids farewell to them using their names, Daisy and T.C. Daisy is the American name of Amy Tan's (the author) mother and T.C. was the name of her mother's partner.
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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.
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Quotes:
An-Mei:
I tell you the story because I was raised the Chinese way. I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, and to eat my own bitterness. And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way. Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl...
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: That's What You Get, Folks, for Makin' Whoopee (#7.2)" (2006)
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Soundtrack:
Gamethon
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (87 total)
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I have read the book and seen the movie. I have also read reactions to both. Some really liked it and found it to be very real, while others hate it and object to the "stereotype." It seems to depend on whether you could relate to the stories, characters, or themes.
I myself could relate very well to the stories, but that could be because I too have experienced the intergenerational and intercultural conflict as an American-born Chinese daughter with a very traditional Chinese mother. Many other American-born Chinese women who were born in the 1960s could relate to the stories very well also. For us, we would start crying as soon as the first sentence is made.
I didn't experience everything that June, Rose, Lena, or Waverly went through, but on a grander scale, they are dealing with issues that I have struggled with as well.
I understand that there are other women who could relate to it as well, and these are not Chinese women--or even Asian women. Perhaps Amy Tan has touched on universal themes that women of other nationalities could relate to.
On the other hand, I have found that some people who are ten years younger than me didn't like the book/movie too much and found the characters "stereotypical" or "unrealistic."
Some Caucasian males didn't like this book/movie either, and again it comes back to them not being able to relate to it.
I understand another user's comment about the negative portrayal of Asian men, but this person has forgotten about June's father who was portrayed as a very likeable man who was trying to bridge the gap between his wife and his daughter. As for his objection of the daughters marrying Caucasian wives, he needs to realize that there are other issues/reasons involved and it's not because Chinese-American women like them "hate Chinese men."
In short, this movie is very good at portraying the intergenerational and/or intercultural conflict between people who are caught between two cultures. Women like me have cried while watching this movie because the issues have been very real for us. For those who could not relate to it or cannot see the "reality" of it, then this movie would not be for them.