Viewed in
2007
Premise
A gay Asian-American man marries his female friend for convenience. But then his parents (unaware he is gay) arrive from Asia to celebrate.
Who should watch
Ang Lee fans. Those who can handle subtitles.
Thoughts
I like how it tackled the closeted gay experience and the parent-child cultural gap. Even though homosexuality was a main theme, most people with immigrant backgrounds will relate to the tug-of-war between American and national identity. Even though the main characters were Asian, these issues were universal.
On top of this, there was a lot of funny moments. My favorite was when the stroke-ridden father insisted that he wash the dishes, while the rest of the family watches in horror.
There were some flaws. About halfway through, it predictably enterred melodrama territory out of nowhere. Also, the lead actor did not seem comfortable playing a gay man.
Nevertheless, it had lots of laughs, lots of exploration, and some nice emotional punches.
What I would change
Found a better lead actor.
