From Deseret News archives:
Double Happiness
Effective cast, especially Sandra Oh, really makes this coming-of-age, culture-clash film click.
Film review
A coming-of-age, culture-clash yarn with some pleasing twists, "Double Happiness" is the story of a 22-year-old Chinese-Canadian woman who is torn between the old-world customs of her parents and the Western influences that have shaped her own life.
"I always wondered why we couldn't be `The Brady Bunch," she says at one point, adding after a pause, "The `Brady Bunch' never needed subtitles."
Jade Li (Sandra Oh) is charming and funny but not very tolerant when it comes to her parents' old-fashioned demands. She is in fairly constant conflict with them especially her strict father and really bristles when they try to marry her off to any one of a string of traditional Chinese lads. (When her mother makes her doff her usual punk look for a more conventional dress, she moans, "I look like Connie Chung.")
An aspiring actress, Jade finds the frustrations of her identity crisis intensified by the auditions she regularly attends. She would like to play Blanche DuBois and Joan of Arc, but casting directors won't consider her for anything outside of the expected Asian stereotypes.
Things only get worse after she meets a young Caucasian man outside a punk club and allows romance to follow. And while she realizes that with all the other conflicts in her life she'd better not bring a white boy home to meet the folks, she's also wracked with guilt.
Writer-director Mina Shum does a terrific job of blending comedy and drama, yet manages to avoid easy sentimentality. And her portrait of a traditional Chinese family feels as truthful as it is humorous and touching right down to the bittersweet conclusion.
What really makes the film click, however, is the effective cast (despite some unevenly performed supporting roles). Best is the delightful, unaffected Sandra Oh (who deservedly won the Canadian version of the best-actress Oscar). She is quite a find and utterly winning in the lead role. The other cast members are also quite good, especially Frances You as Jade's sister and Stephen Chang and Alannah Ong as her parents. Change and Ong are quite convincing as they convey strict parental concern tempered with love and an inability to adapt to life in the West.
"Double Happiness" is rated PG-13 for a sex scene and some language.
Comments
Cast: Sandra Oh, Alannah Ong, Stephen Chang.
Find a Movie Theater
- Brems outlasts 2nd round of votes 6:06 p.m.
- Boy's quick thinking saves life 6:05 p.m.
- Turner considers County Council run 6:00 p.m.
- Gifts for gamers 5:27 p.m.
- Acquired immunity may not help 5:15 p.m.
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling 5:11 p.m.
- Many count pennies in recession 5:09 p.m.
- Clinton class sweet on candy 5:06 p.m.
- Alta rejects canyon subdivision 3:33 p.m.
- Adult sports leagues offered 3:19 p.m.
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
896 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
481 - Max Hall issues apology
362 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
316 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
288 - Utes won't respond to Hall
212 - BYU is champion of the state
140 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
121 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
119 - Religion in politics is tiresome
96
Stop begging the question- there is BEER and other alcohol inside of...
Dr. Oz's words if I am reading them correctly, that acquired immunity to a...
["without religion, marriage would not exist. you can't seperate the two"]...
My brother lived in Toronto for 3 years and has horror stories about Canadian...
Are Ute fans really that sensive, I never would have guessed it... Maybe they...
Great article. Totally agree. Max has apologized (although it could have...
Ha ha big win against stanford again this year! yup you sure tore it up!...
Very mature. How did you ever think of "Maxipad?" I'll bet all your third...
@Nothing New Here: Another good reason to find a new energy source!
I have been to RES and know for a fact that there is BEER there!!!!!...




You can be the first to comment on this story.