Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

 Appetizing
This is about the fourth or fifth "food" movie I've seen. When I first heard of the genre, I wondered who ever came up with such a ridiculous idea. However, I now understand that it is like a movie with great art, or costumes, or scenery, or music. The food is truly an attractive addition. However, they'd all be just another episode of the Galloping Gourmet if the movie itself wasn't worthwhile. "Eat Drink Man Woman" has a nice, family-oriented (sorry) story to tell and it tells it well. I also enjoyed the Chinese setting but I was confused about all the goings on until I heard someone mention Taipei. Then I realized why all the Capitalism was so abundant. I'm not sure I'd seen another Taiwanese movie but, after this one, I'd be willing to watch another. The story of friendship, familial love and respect, and the challenges of the world around us blend together very well in "Eat Drink Man Woman". It's as good a recipe as the food we wish we were eating. The intended irony about "Eat Drink Man Woman" is that there really is SO much more. Feast your eyes on this one; it's well worth it. May 4, 2008

 about the DVDfilm/movie eat drink man woman.........
The story is basically about food that change the fate of the life of the family. Recommended to those whom are interested in this genre of DVDfilm/movie. Singapore is also selling thid title of DVDfilm in Singapore HMV.

Review by:

Dr, MR Franc MBBS (PhD) GPS Ang Poon Kah
Director Lou Ye for film summer palace.


April 25, 2008

 Classic
This movie takes the place of a great classic in my collection. it is an excellent story with well rounded characters that really live while you are watching the film. The actors all did an professional job of relating a simple story into a family epic of which any culture can relate. March 18, 2008

 When Love Equals a Chinese Feast ...
This film is a feast for the eyes and senses. It will have almost *all* viewers drooling with delight and desire as Mr. Chen prepares his ritual Sunday meal for his three grown daughters and occasionally a friend and neighbor. Mr. Chen is a widower, a retired chef from a famous Chinese restaurant in Taiwan. He continues this traditional family gathering as a way of communicating his love for his daughters. As a Chinese male and head of household, it is awkward for him to express his true feelings without a mother figure in the house. The problem is - his daughters are adults and each has her own unique identity. Each of them needs to grow in her own directon and express her own individuality - this is when the fun really begins, as one by one in the film, the viewer is privileged to learn about the daughters' lives. Little does Mr. Chen realize just how modern his obedient daughters are and just exactly what events are transpiring behind the scenes in their lives to which he is *not* privvy ... until ...one by one their lives are revealed to his surprise. However, what is really amazing is - Mr. Chen is more modern than his *own* daughters realize and he has a few tricks up his sleeve which catch them unaware as well!

There are many wonderful themes explored in this complex film which to be fully appreciated should be viewed several times for maximum enjoyment. There is love, hope, survival, lonliness, friendship, death, betrayal, family values, and so much more. There is so much depth to this film that a lot can and likely will be missed, despite the fact it is a two hour film, it zooms by very fast. Mr. Chen's role is much deeper than one realizes, so the unfocused mind is overwhelmed by sensual data. Truly, several viewings will be needed and this is realized *only* after having viewed the film two or three times. The eldest and most beautiful daughter is a company executive for an airline. She is highly successful and offered a promotion to become a Vice President for the firm but it involves moving to the Amsterdam office. She is a modern career woman and carrying on an affair with a free-spirited Chinese artist. Little does she know what tricks her boyfriend has in store for her while she plays the role of single successful woman. Her life seems the most on track and the film reveals just how much of an illusion this viewpoint is. The middle daughter is more plain looking. She graduated with a college major in chemistry and teaches at a local boy's high school. She uses religion as an escape and became a Christian. She listens to Christian hymns even when waiting for the bus and traveling to and from work. Her "old maid" status is not lost on her teenaged male students who play a practical joke on her which went overboard and caused her great embarrassment. Amazingly enough, the new boy's volleyball coach greets the chemistry teacher and asks her to attend the team's games. He rides a motor cycle and is very cool. She does not know what to make of his overtures. It is when the students in her chemistry class play the practical joke on her that Chou Ming Dao, the coach comes to her rescue and a different kind of *chemistry* occurs between them. Something magical and unexpected develops. The middle plain daughter engages in uncharacteristic behaviors but due to her Christian beliefs, she follows her heart as well as the tenets of her faith but the outcome is totally unpredictable. She shocks her family with her announcement at the Sunday traditional family meal ... The third daughter is the youngest. She works at fast food restaurant and unlike her older sisters shows no promise to become college educated. She has a best friend whose boyfriend keeps hanging around the restaurant. The friend indicates she is making her boyfriend suffer and she feigns not being interested in him, very convincingly so. The youngest daughter advises the young man on love and matters of the heart, to the point of his realizing *she* is a better catch than his original love. There are many unpredictable twists and turns in the plot as each daughter works out her life circumstances based on her own interests and values ...

Meanwhile they are hoping that their dad will get together with Jin Rong's mother who returned to Taiwan after living in the USA. Jin Rong is a pretty young neighbor who is undergoing a divorce from her husband who cheated by having an affair. Her mother is returned to live with her and help raise Shan Shan her school aged daughter. Her mother could not get used to the culture shock of her other daughter having married outside the Chinese culture. It is quite clear, Jin Rong's mother has designs on Mr. Chen. Mr. Chen's daughters are encouraging these feelings. Mr. Chen pulls off one of the biggest unexpected and unpredictable surprise endings which truly makes this film one of the best I have viewed in a long time. This is a most highly recommended film. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
March 15, 2008

 Eat, Drink, Enjoy Life.
Upon the suggestion of one of my Amazon Friends, I watched this film for the first time last night, and now I must include it among my three favorite Ang Lee films. While Academy Award-winning film director Lee is best known for his films Sense & Sensibility (1995), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Brokeback Mountain (2005), he is not as well known for his films Eat Drink Man Woman, The Ice Storm, and Lust, Caution, which are my three favorite Lee films.

Among the finest Hollywood films of the Nineties, Eat Drink Man Woman portrays traditional values, modern relationships, and family conflicts in Taipei. The film tells the story of retired and widowed Chinese Master Chef Chu (Sihung Lung) and his family living in modern day Taiwan. He lives with his three lovely daughters, all of whom are single. Initially, the three daughters represent three female stereotypes: the oldest one is a religious spinster school teacher suffering from a broken heart; the middle one is driven by her career suffering from a fear of commitment; and the youngest one is a school girl who yearns to be a woman. Over the course of the film, the three daughters are forced to confront these stereotypes through their relationships with men. Master Chu ends the film with perhaps the biggest surprise of all.

I have always thought that humans are hardwired for relationships, and it's our software that creates issues. Lee's film not only illustrates this notion, but also reveals that romantic relationships are just as essential to life as eating and drinking. As the film's title suggests, relationships (and romantic relationships in particular) give life its essential meaning; or, as Master Chu says while inebriated, "to eat and drink and to have sex" is the essential recipe for our existence. As in his later films, Lee's camera shots linger over the film's visual images. Eat Drink Man Woman is a visually and emotionally stunning experience in film with a wise message. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt February 23, 2008

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