Product Description

From celebrated director Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Sense and Sensibility) comes a movieso visually stunning that it spans the "beautiful balance of elementsmellow, harmonious and poignantly funny" (The Washington Post). This "charming study of love, family and tradition" (Leonard Maltin) "tickles both mind and body" (Movie Reviews UK). Trouble is cooking forwidower and master chef Chu (Sihung Lung) who's about to discover that no matter how dazzling and delicious his culinary creations might be, they're no match for the libidinous whims of his three beautiful but rebellious daughters. A master in the kitchen, Chu is at a loss when it comes to the ingredients of being a father. Every Sunday, he whips up a delicacy of dishes for his ungrateful daughters, who are so self-consumed that they don't see his attempt at showing them lovegastronomically.So, as relationships sour and communications break down, Chu concocts a sure-fire recipe that will bring his family back together: He creates his own love affair to rival his daughters' affections!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3203 in DVD
• Brand: TCFHE/MGM
• Released on: 2002-03-05
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Mandarin Chinese
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 124 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
This is not a movie to see on an empty stomach. Writer-director Ang Lee's 1994 Oscar nominee tells a family story about a chef and his three daughters through the meals the chef prepares and serves his family. This touching, dryly funny story of a family coping with personal lives and the way those lives intersect with the family relationships captures a shift in generations in Taipei. The father, a famous chef who has lost his taste buds, still cooks, though he draws no pleasure from eating. His daughters, meanwhile, deal with both the disappointments and surprises of daily living and the way their adult lives compare to the expectations the widowed father had for them. A subtle, amusing--and mouth-watering--comedy of impeccable manners. --Marshall Fine

From The New Yorker
Another comedy of marriage from Ang Lee, the director of "The Wedding Banquet." Again, the structure locks smoothly into place: the aging Mr. Chu (Sihung Lung) is a widowed chef, living in Taipei with his three daughters, each of whom is getting itchy for the world beyond. (Watch out for the exquisite Chien-Lien Wu as Jia-Chien, the pushiest of the three.) Mr. Chu is a King Lear of the kitchen: a master on his own ground, slapping fish around and blowing air into a boiled chicken, but gradually losing his sense of taste and his power to rule. With its busy, silken editing, the movie chops back and forth between the various characters as they stumble toward their desires. It's a trim, likable piece of work; there are wonderful shots of humming traffic and shouting cooks. Lee is a throwback to old Hollywood-you can imagine him learning his craft, and his reliable optimism, under Capra. But that guarantee of good taste is, finally, a bit of a downer; there are plenty of surprises, but no hint of risk. And after "Tampopo," "Like Water for Chocolate," and the wholly superior "Babette's Feast," isn't the plug for food as a life-force getting hard to stomach? In Mandarin. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

feast for the eyes as well as the heart
I simply adored this movie. The characters are so very real. You see them warts and all... their idiosynchrocies, quirks, talents, loves, etc. are all exposed to the point you love every character.

I saw this in the theater with English subtitles, then saw it on video... the video wasn't labeled as to how it was placed on the tape... and sadly, in lieu of English subtitles, they dubbed in voices... a very bad move. The only Chinese I understand is what I order when I go out to eat... but even if you don't speak Chinese, you get so much from hearing the real actors' voices. They are quite expressive. I am learning disabled and read very slowly, but I was able to follow the dialog without difficulty with the subtitles and still tell what was going on.

The talents displayed by the master chef & father in the film opens up your mind to another culture rich in history and talents. You really feel like you're a part of this family while watching the film and are emotionally attached to everyone in it.

A high quality, relationship-rich film coverning 3 generations of life & love. Not a sappy "girl movie" but an experience.

If anyone knows how/when/where to get this film on DVD, please let me know. I've been looking everywhere for it. It's probably available in China, but I'd have to have a copy w/ English subtitles.

A Glance into Chinese Culture
Being an American of non-asian descent, I know little to nothing about the culture of the Far East. All I have ever seen of Japan and China has been through the eyes of Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Akira Kurosawa films. So when I have the opportunity to watch a movie that is not only well made but gives me the opportunity to learn more about such a far away and different culture, I jump at it. This was such a film.

Let me first applaud the acting, especially by Mr. Lung (Mr. Chu) and Ms. Wu (Jia-Chien). They were not only convincing, but seductive in their roles. The story was realistic and, contrary to reviews by Leonard Maltin, was unpredictable. Who could have guessed the way the story would unwind, to the final Sunday dinner.

What I found most engaging about the film was the character Jia-Chien. Her relationship with her family was complex. Lack of communication with her older sister led their love to become buried in angst and confusion. And although she set out to become a successful business woman, she struggled to find balance between her work and her love of cooking and her father. It became apparent to me that she was her fathers favorite daughter, and their apprehension toward showing their feelings was clouded by their lives outside the family, until they came to accept each other.

The only other film about Chinese culture (not martial arts) that I have seen is Joy Luck Club, and although this did not feature the same level of drama and pain, I enjoyed it just as much. See this movie.

A Culinary and Emotional Feast to Enjoy...
This film is set in Taipei, and is spoken in Mandarin. The opening scene of this movie shows Master Chef Chu at work in his own kitchen at home in preparation for "the Sunday dinner." (My mouth was watering after the first 5 minutes.) It's a ritual in the Chu family for the [widowed] father to get together with his three daughters for this weekly meal no matter how tight the schedules of or how unwilling the daughters are to come. The eldest daughter is a devout Christian and high school chemistry teacher. The second daughter is an airline executive and the youngest daughter is a fast food chain cashier.

All three daughters aren't married and aren't in any serious relationships at the beginning of the story. But as the movie progresses and each of them find love under the strangest of circumstances, each has an "announcement" to make around the dinner table come Sunday. The audience can't help but feel bad for the father who's getting old and seems to be at odds with her daughters for every small matter.

Each daughter's relationship reflects the uniqueness of individuals.

...

The important theme to this story is hinted at when the father repeats to his daughters that he has lost his taste a long time ago. The audience later knows that he was referring more to his taste for life rather than his physical inability to distinguish flavors. This lack of appreciation for life comes with age as well as his loneliness from accepting the inevitable -- that his daughters are going to leave him alone someday.

There are so many subtleties this film is able to capture about not only the Chinese culture but living with women in general. (I grew up in a household where I was the only male, and I know what the father must have gone through each day.)

I highly, highly recommend this film. As an added incentive, I intentionally left out the surprise ending hinted at on the back cover, as well as other minor details. Feast your eyes and mouth on this exquisite film!