SummaryThe story of four remarkable friends whose extraordinary lives are filled with joy and heartbreak. Their lifelong friendship reveals a mosaic of the startling events and conditions that have shaped their lives -- and how these experiences have affected the hopes and dreams they hold for each of their children. (Hollywood Pictures)
Directed By:Wayne Wang
The Joy Luck Club
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
84
User score
Generally Favorable
7.5
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
85% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
15% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
The best thing about The Joy Luck Club is that it is not too cerebral, calculated or self-consciously arty. It is also an intensely emotional movie that celebrates the mystical undercurrent of life, that accepts the healing miracle of love, and - in the tradition of the great Hollywood "women's pictures" of the '30s and '40s - simply does not leave a dry eye in the house. [24 Sept 1993]
100
Every once in a while a movie comes along that is so stirring and so moving that it stays with you long after it's over. Like a wonderful memory, it washes over your psyche for days and bathes it in some indescribable richness. The Joy Luck Club is just such a movie. This is filmmaking at its best: a wonderful story that transcends cultures. It is beautifully set and filmed, superbly acted and masterfully directed. [7 Sept 1993]
90
If The Joy Luck Club doesn’t make you cry, nothing will. In an age of contrived and mechanical sentimentality, its deeply felt, straight-from-the-heart emotions and the unadorned way it presents them make quite an impact. No matter how many hankies you bring with you, it won’t be enough.
88
Hits hardest when it bypasses sentiment to ponder the inextricable mix of love and pain that comes with the ties that bind.
75
Mostly engrossing and always worthy of respect, it still hasn't quite the big-movie sweep to make it a tell-the-world experience. [8 Sept 1993, p.1D]
63
The Joy Luck Club may be stylistically rickety, but Wang does a good job with the logistics of the movie, integrating multiple time periods, dialogue in two languages (English and Mandarin), two locations (San Francisco and China) and overlapping casts - several characters require two and even three actors to play them at different ages - to make a watchable whole. This is not a movie to be watched lackadaisically. Blink twice and you could lose the train of narration. [17 Sept 1993, p.C]
50
Director Wayne Wang and his dreadful cast – the performances are almost across-the-board atrocious – had no chance.
User score
Generally Favorable
79% Positive
19 Ratings
19 Ratings
8% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
13% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Aug 19, 2023
6
A film poised to celebrate its 30th anniversary, once hailed as a pioneering work in spotlighting the Asian-American narrative, and that gave the idea that these kinds of narratives would continue to be explored in the US market, but that buzz was not seen again until Crazy Rich Asians was released in 2018. Yet still possesses an intensified, poignant essence in the way it handles emotions, allowing it to strike a chord with a broader audience. However, there remains an inherent barrier that undeniably disconnects many from the ingrained experiences because they pertain to the Asian-American community, especially the female audience, and clearly not everyone can relate to that or understand it firsthand. Putting this aspect aside, the film is an engaging and functional drama. With only sporadic hiccups, it maintains a fluid pace.
While some elements may feel less relatable to some, The Joy Luck Club retains its enduring relevance, even for viewers who, like me, have only recently seen it.
