It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I set about this movie because there was nothing better to do, and after around 70 minutes I woke up to the fact I was better doing just about anything else than following this insipid tale to it's end. OK it was an obvious cheese fest, but this is a film I couldn't watch to maturity. It was unbearable watching the main character struggle with the 'I am upsetting my dad' story. How can a woman be so pathetic, and a total contradiction at the same time? Here she is, bending to the will of her dad, but so treating the man she has married with complete disrespect. Go figure. But, then they are Chinese... so that's OK. Forgive my Kiwiness. And that's where the story really starts to grate. The tale had no depth in terms of a story of two cultures divided. I suppose it was trying to win our charms on the 'cute' front. And it failed there. This story was so racist in the way it undermined all things Kiwi. I and everyone I should hope to meet love that Aotearoa is a melting pot of many cultures. However, I shudder that we should be at a stage where being held up as a Kiwi is of lesser value in the land we are raised. We learned about how to be Chinese, but not that living in New Zealand means adopting all that is wonderful about being Kiwi. And there's much to celebrate about that. I would like our film-makers to not make light of our new cultural identity, and to realize at last that it is our Kiwiness that is the forefront of all that our combined cultures are now blending into. Tall poppy syndrome? Let's drop it finally, aye? And accept ownership of what is actually a great identity, albeit it one swamped by a world few of us can now afford! In summary, yeah-Na.

Yes, Michelle Ang is still a working actress.I wanted to watch this movie because its a New Zealander movie. And im an American that loves foreign films. Im always curious to see how the other side of the world works.And yes, right before watching the film, i did read the synopsis. And here it is: Its the story about a young Chinese college student (a nerdy Asian girl) that falls in love with a white college student (a very tall, lanky young man that plays videogames) She goes out with the young man. They have dinner and sex and talk about what they want to be when they graduate. But her Chinese family is still stuck in the dark ages (theyre racist) and Michelle Ang's character keeps the relationship secret....yeah, i rolled my eyes, too.I personally didn't think that having a relationship and keeping it secret was the big deal of the movie. It was the fact that she proposes marriage to her white boyfriend so she can scam the government for a student grant. Yes, that happen. Michelle's character wants to make a Kung Fu movie for some film school thesis. And she needs money. In New Zealand,the government offers cash money to newly married college students so that they can have a little bit of extra help.Ang's character seems to be very self- centered and doesn't consider committing fraud a big deal. Her excuse to her boyfriend is that they are in love and its not defrauding. Its just a way to get money. My problem with this film is that the writer/director couldn't figure out what plot to use. And tackles all 3 possible plots. Her boyfriend, her racist parents, committing fraud. The director talks about everything, but doesn't finish anything.I felt it was a relief when Ang's character agrees with her boyfriends wishes to meet her parents. Here, is where we see the boyfriend learning mandarin Chinese. He gets intense about it, too. Its a very well shot film with great actors, but lousy characters. And a tired- out "Chinese-culture-shock" movie that doesn't make sense.The Joy luck club was a better film and i suggest you watch that movie instead. Another good "Chinese-culture" shock movie to watch is "The Wedding banquet." "The Wedding Banquet." is almost identical to "My wedding and other secrets." But its better.I enjoyed This movie. But i can make some safe assumptions about the audience that is going to watch this. And i know they wont like it. Its a movie that wants you to take the side of the main character. But its hard to like her.And its somewhat embarrassing to portray a Chinese family as ignorant racists. I cant agree with that to be a fact. And if it is, then its pretty sad.

A cross-cultural Romeo And Juliet, the charming, quirky and very enjoyable New Zealand romantic comedy My Wedding And Other Secrets is based on the filmmaker's own story. While still a student at university, Roseanne Liang, a New Zealand girl of Chinese descent, married her Caucasian boyfriend. But she was forced to keep the marriage a secret from her strict parents because of their traditional beliefs and attitude towards interracial relationships. This subterfuge put additional pressure on both her and her partner. In 2005, Liang made Bananas In A Nutshell, a 50-minute documentary that explored this secret marriage and its ramifications. She has now turned that autobiographical film into a full-length feature film that dramatises her story and it is full of self-referential asides. The film deals with some universal themes like family, trust, love, relationships, the lot of immigrants adjusting to their new country, culture and tradition, and it has broad appeal. Liang's fictional counterpart here is Emily Chu (played by Michelle Ang), a perky but neurotic over achiever who is the youngest of three sisters. Ang (from TV series Neighbours and Outrageous Fortune, etc) brings an endearingly awkward quality to her performance, but she also manages to suggest the guilt and complex emotional journey of her character. Matt Whelan (from the offbeat comedy Eagle Vs Shark, etc) is also solid as James her boyfriend/husband, who disagrees with her hypocrisy. And veteran Chinese actors Pei-pei Cheng and Kenneth Tsang bring gravitas to their roles as her parents, who prove to be far more understanding. The film's first screening at MIFF was well received, and it's to be hoped that a local distributor will pick up My Wedding And Other Secrets, as it deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

While the movie is billed as a "romance," the fact that it is based on a true story actually gives the film more of a dramatic edge than perhaps the title and the billing of the film fail to alert audiences too, and sadly, may deter those who love a great drama from going to see. So for those who wanna see a romantic film, you'll love this…and for those who love dramas, here is why you should see this film! My Wedding and Other Secrets is based on a documentary by Rosanne Liang called Banana In a Nutshell about her real life experiences; that in and of itself is part of the reasons why the film is so successful. Gone are all the nice ribbons and bows and cute little one-liners you would expect in a "romance" and instead you experience real characters with depth and with real conversation and interactions that are tangible. While in the end the film ends on a happy note as you'd expect from a romance, the journey to that point is littered with the complexities of human emotion, cultural differences, and the loving bond of family. Michelle Ang, who plays Emily Chu, does a wonderful job of creating a character torn between her love of a non-Chinese boyfriend and her family's "Chinese" expectations for their daughter. Emily is then pulled in so many directions in the film while she tries to decide what her life should be, and the best choices to make, and it is her performance that brings this drama to life. Matt Whelan, Pei-Pei Cheng, Kenneth Tsang and Mike Ginn all provide an exceptional supporting cast. Real life "Emily," Rosanne Liang, directed the film and her guidance has created a film with the perfect balance between romance and drama, making a very original "romance" film that is a great drama not to be missed.