| The Joy Luck Club | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Wayne Wang |
| Produced by | Patrick Markey Wayne Wang Amy Tan Ronald Bass |
| Screenplay by | Amy Tan & Ronald Bass |
| Based on | The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan |
| Starring | Ming-Na Rosalind Chao Lauren Tom France Nuyen Tamlyn Tomita Kieu Chinh Lisa Lu Tsai Chin |
| Music by | Rachel Portman |
| Cinematography | Amir Mokri |
| Editing by | Maysie Hoy |
| Distributed by | Hollywood Pictures |
| Release date(s) | September 8, 1993 |
| Running time | 139 minutes |
| Language | English Mandarin Cantonese |
| Box office | $32,861,136 |
The Joy Luck Club (Chinese: (Traditional) 喜福會 (Simplified) 喜福会 pinyin: Xǐ Fú Huì) is a 1993 American film about the relationships between Chinese-American women and their Chinese mothers. It is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bass. The film was produced by Ronald Bass, Amy Tan, Patrick Markey and Wayne Wang, who directed it. The cast is notable for consisting primarily of Asian American women.
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Four older women, all Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco, meet regularly to play mahjong, eat, and tell stories. Each of these women has an adult Chinese-American daughter. The film reveals the hidden pasts of the older women and explores cultural conflict and the relationships between mothers and daughters. The film is structured as a series of vignettes told from the perspectives of the different women.
The Joy Luck Club has been widely praised by critics and was well-received by audiences. Critic Gene Siskel, who singled out the script and performances, praised the film for presenting images of Asian-Americans outside the narrow range of childhood violinists and spelling bee winners, opining that its main accomplishments were its depiction of how the brutal lives of women in China could continue to influence the lives of their American daughters, and its ability to allow audiences to relate to a large group of Chinese-Americans as individuals.[1]
Some critics, such as Asian American author Frank Chin, however, have criticized the film for perpetuating stereotypes, particularly regarding Asian males.[2][3][4] These views, however, stand in stark contrast with those of Chinese-American director Wayne Wang, who was impressed with Amy Tan's original novel and was open to bringing "The Joy Luck Club" to the big screen.[5]
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