Film Review: Dim Sum Funeral
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燝凝
Nov 21, 2008, 4:37:41 AM11/21/08
to 白灵! Bai Ling!
By Stephen Farber
By now the story of a large family congregating for a seminal event-a
holiday celebration, a birthday, or a funeral-is almost a genre unto
itself. Since these tales are inevitably a little shopworn, it's a
challenge for filmmakers to freshen the stock situations. Director
Anna Chi and screenwriter Donald Martin fail to invigorate the
formulas in "Dim Sum Funeral." Despite the best efforts of an
attractive and talented cast, the story of a far-flung family
returning to Seattle for their mother's funeral seems predictable and
distended. This AFI Fest offering will appeal to its ethnic base but
won't break through to a larger audience.
When the strong-willed matriarch of a Chinese-American family dies,
her caretaker (Talia Shire) assembles friends, children and
grandchildren and lets them know that their departed mother wanted a
ritualistic seven-day Chinese funeral. They reluctantly agree to hang
around and participate in the ceremonies. During their sojourn, they
resolve a lot of their own personal crises, which is clearly what Mama
had in mind.
These individual dramas are steeped in cliche. Lesbian couple Meimei
(Steph Song) and Deedee (Bai Ling) are hoping to have a child, and
they are on the lookout for a sperm donor. Womanizing son Alex
(Russell Wong) is trying to repair his marriage to his angry wife.
Oldest daughter Liz (Julia Nickson) is also seeking a new start after
the death of a child. Although there is a neat plot twist that
enlivens the last quarter of the film, most of these subplots are
resolved much too easily.
Nickson gives the strongest performance, managing to convey the
bitterness of a wounded woman without ever losing our sympathy. Wong
involves us in his character's conflicts. Bai Ling is engaging in one
of the lighter roles; she provides needed comic relief.
Technical credits are solid if uninspired. Most stories of family
tension and reconciliation can be counted on to stir emotion in
audiences, but the tears at this "Funeral" are jerked without much
deftness.
中文翻译摘要：
《点心葬礼》在AFI首映后，影评人的评价是“并无新意”，其中白灵小姐在本片中的作用被描述为“她是一个煽风点火的角色，并提供了影片所需要的漫画调
剂”。
By now the story of a large family congregating for a seminal event-a
holiday celebration, a birthday, or a funeral-is almost a genre unto
itself. Since these tales are inevitably a little shopworn, it's a
challenge for filmmakers to freshen the stock situations. Director
Anna Chi and screenwriter Donald Martin fail to invigorate the
formulas in "Dim Sum Funeral." Despite the best efforts of an
attractive and talented cast, the story of a far-flung family
returning to Seattle for their mother's funeral seems predictable and
distended. This AFI Fest offering will appeal to its ethnic base but
won't break through to a larger audience.
When the strong-willed matriarch of a Chinese-American family dies,
her caretaker (Talia Shire) assembles friends, children and
grandchildren and lets them know that their departed mother wanted a
ritualistic seven-day Chinese funeral. They reluctantly agree to hang
around and participate in the ceremonies. During their sojourn, they
resolve a lot of their own personal crises, which is clearly what Mama
had in mind.
These individual dramas are steeped in cliche. Lesbian couple Meimei
(Steph Song) and Deedee (Bai Ling) are hoping to have a child, and
they are on the lookout for a sperm donor. Womanizing son Alex
(Russell Wong) is trying to repair his marriage to his angry wife.
Oldest daughter Liz (Julia Nickson) is also seeking a new start after
the death of a child. Although there is a neat plot twist that
enlivens the last quarter of the film, most of these subplots are
resolved much too easily.
Nickson gives the strongest performance, managing to convey the
bitterness of a wounded woman without ever losing our sympathy. Wong
involves us in his character's conflicts. Bai Ling is engaging in one
of the lighter roles; she provides needed comic relief.
Technical credits are solid if uninspired. Most stories of family
tension and reconciliation can be counted on to stir emotion in
audiences, but the tears at this "Funeral" are jerked without much
deftness.
中文翻译摘要：
《点心葬礼》在AFI首映后，影评人的评价是“并无新意”，其中白灵小姐在本片中的作用被描述为“她是一个煽风点火的角色，并提供了影片所需要的漫画调
剂”。
燝凝
Nov 21, 2008, 4:43:29 AM11/21/08
to 白灵! Bai Ling!
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