Main Cast: Law Lan, Cora Miao, Russell Wong, Victor Wong, Lee Sau Kee, Eric Tsang
Release Year: 1989
Country: HK/US
Run Time: 102 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Eat a Bowl of Tea is set in New York's Chinatown during the immediate postwar years. After a seeming eternity of separation, Chinese immigrants are finally allowed to bring their spouses to the U.S. thanks to looser immigration laws. Those husbands and wives no longer able to procreate fully expect their own sons to head back to China to seek out new brides. Russell Wong plays Ben Loy, a young man who decides not to marry the bride picked out for him, but a girl of his own choice, Mei Oi (played by Cora Miao). The film tackles several issues, including Mei's difficulty in assimilation, Ben's problems with his intrusive relatives, the outside pressure brought to bear in producing an heir, and the ongoing struggle of making ends meet financially. Both bride and groom respond to their insecurities by indulging in extramarital affairs. It takes several near-catastrophic events to prompt a happy reconciliation. Partially funded by PBS' American Playhouse production staff, Eat a Bowl of Tea is based on an extremely popular Chinese-language novel by Louis Chu. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Eat a Bowl of Tea (the title of which is a rather literal translation of a Chinese saying that means "take your medicine") is a charming if uneven entry in director Wayne Wang's films exploring Chinese-American life. Wang is at his best here when capturing the little moments that define character and culture, such as the moment when Mei Oi crosses her eyes to make herself unattractive to her prospective husband, or when she delightedly discovers the joy of a gas-lit stove, or the manner in which Wah Gay swaggers from the new "face" he has gained from his son's procurement of a new bride. Wang is less successful with making some of the big moments work; he cannot totally reconcile the differences in tone which crop up throughout the film, especially after it takes a firm turn toward melodrama about halfway through. This undermines some of the film's effectiveness, but there are enough pleasures from the cast and from the palpable sense of community to make up for this flaw. Victor Wong's carefully calibrated performance creates a character that is as irritating as he is appealing; it finds the humor in the character without making it a caricature. Cora Miao is a strong presence, and Russell Wong is likeable, even if his performance is not as assured and confident as it could be. Although it derails itself occasionally, Eat a Bowl of Tea is largely enjoyable. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jessica Harper; Wai Ching Ho - Song, Ah; Law Lan - Aunt Gim; Lau Siu Ming - Lee Gong; Lydia Shum
Credit
Tim Yip - Art Director, Marit Allen - Costume Designer, Wayne Wang - Director, Richard Candib - Editor, Lidsay Law - Executive Producer, Mark Adler - Composer (Music Score), Nancy Hamilton - Songwriter, Morgan Lewis - Songwriter, Yam Chan Hoi - Makeup, Nancie Marsalis - Makeup, Bob Ziembicki - Production Designer, Amir Mokri - Cinematographer, John K. Chan - Producer, Tom Sternberg - Producer, Lisa Dean - Set Designer, Judith Rascoe - Screenwriter, Louis Chu - Short Story Author
The story begins with exposition of the difficult lives of the first generation of male Chinese-Americanimmigrants who were not allowed to bring their wives and families with them into the United States due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. For decades, these immigrant men have not seen their families they had left back in China. Ben (Russell Wong) is the son of one these immigrants and has just finished serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Due to the G.I. Bill,[citation needed] he is allowed to bring a bride back from China which he does after an arranged marriage. Mei Oi (Cora Miao), the bride, besides being attracted to Ben also wants to see her father in the U.S., who emigrated to the States before she was born. As one of the first couples of child-bearing age within Chinatown, Ben and Mei Oi have to deal with the expectations of the entire Chinatown community as well as his father (Victor Wong). But the pressures on Ben render him impotent, and in her confusion over his seeming lack of interest, Mei Oi succumbs to the attentions of Ah Song (Eric Tsang). Their affair creates complications not only for their own marriage, but for the reputations of their fathers in the close-knit "bachelor society" of New York's Chinatown.
