What a waste of my time!!!

Awesome Movie

Absolutely amazing

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The film is half in Mandarin and half in English and I feel that that adds to the authenticity of the movie. Like with Slumdog Millionaire, movies that have a cultural aspect to it are much better off having dual language. And I being a Chinese, was better able to understand where the film was coming from. Also, though I do not speak the language fluently and need subtitles to understand fully, certain lines if it was in English, would have killed the comedic essence.So with the combination of the comedic screenplay, and the use of Mandarin, it kept the film feeling really real. It was very believable. Which also means that the acting was fantastic. I did feel at times that Michelle Krusiec's acting was a bit awkward and static, but maybe that's just her character. She was fantastic regardless, and was totally invested in the role, as was Joan and Lynn Chen.The only other thing that I kind of had a problem with was the ending. This shouldn't spoil anything but…what happened to the contract?Lastly, I just want to credit the director, Alice Wu, who also wrote the screenplay. This film was inspired by her own experiences and I give props to her for being able to write and direct it. Also, props to it for being so successful.Read the full review at championangels.wordpress.com

Saving Face centers on two women who need to get something out of their systems. One of them, a young Chinese woman surgeon, who is coming to terms with her sexual orientation of being a lesbian and desperately wants to tell her mother of her bias, but fears not for her reaction, but for her already deteriorating level of confidence and fondness for life. Her mother, on the other hand, is pregnant by a man she refuses to identify, leaving her ostracized and a societal blackboard for those with impressions and judgments to right on carelessly.The young woman is Wilhelmina, often called "Wil," played by Michelle Krusiec, and her mother is Hwei-lang Gao, played by the wonderful Joan Gao. Throughout the course of the film, Wil struggles to balance her prestigious job as a surgeon, carry on a relationship with the stunning Vivian (Lynn Chen), and juggle her mom's lack of confidence has her pregnancy continues on. We see that after being shunned and disgraced by her father, her only hope is her daughter Wil, who is almost obligated to welcome her into her home with open arms, seeing as she has nowhere else to go. Wil attempts to get her out in the dating game, much to the dismay of her mother, who feels inferior when she stares at Chinese women half her age.Coming-out cinema, often regarded as "queer cinema," which sounds more like a demonization, is beginning to channel the formula of heterosexual romantic comedies. The gay white character in present times doesn't shock or surprise audiences like he used to, and because of that, young, ambitious gay filmmakers are looking towards separate cultures and more intimate focuses in order to successfully pull off a unique film in the queer cinema movement. We can view that has subversion of a subversive genre, I suppose.Director Alice Wu (who after making this film in 2004, has gone on to do nothing since) makes the welcomed change to shift Saving Face into the morals and dilemmas of remaining culturally devoted despite being an enormous outcast. We see how bound to Chinese culture Wil is, which begins by taking her mother in even though she really doesn't need the extra weight provided, and persistently trying to find a date to reassure her confidence. Coming-out cinema would later reach a similar height when director Dee Rees released Pariah, a story about a young black girl embracing her sexuality in a seamy urban setting. Yet while Pariah appeared soaked in grit, Saving Face comfortably channels the comedic genre, accentuating a playful tone when necessary and a serious tone when applicable to the message of cultural devotion and homosexuality.It was a little stunning to watch the credits for this film and find Will Smith and his agent John Lassiter (not to be confused with Pixar's John Lasseter) holding producer's credits for this small indie picture. During this time, Will Smith was at the height of his game, and this same year released his fantasy action movie I, Robot and the animated film Shark Tale. What was his inspiration for funding a modest lesbian film churned out by a first time director and why was it not publicized? Starring: Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, and Lynn Chen. Directed by: Alice Wu.

This movie is probably one of the only well done lesbian romantic comedies I've seen. It's light hearted and funny but also deals with matters serious enough to get the audience thinking.Joan Chen (wil's mum) stood out in this movie, she was funny and in character. Michelle Krusiec (Wil) was fairly good, but had many areas where she could have improved on. Her emotions were too mellow and she didn't successfully portray her struggle to stay in the closet. The mix dialogue of Chinese and English was slightly confusing at times (eg. Wil pretty much always speaks to Ma in English but Ma always replies in Chinese). There was a scene where Ma goes to the video store to rent videos and her English wasn't even good enough to ask "do you have any Chinese movies", I thought that was strange considering she can understand EVERYTHING Wil says in English.The storyline is actually quite deep for a romantic comedy as it does deal with gay-struggle, family expectations, cultural difference and ethnic identity as well as infatuation and love. I strongly recommend this movie to everyone it's a deep story with a happy ending.

Overall the movie feels like a Chop Suey with all these forced ingredients thrown in, but without depth and not well cooked.The director is trying to explore current social issues in a conservative immigrant culture. "Non-conventional" behaviors such as lesbian relationship, single motherhood, older women with younger men relationships are typically shunned upon in a conservative Chinese culture. It's a good idea to talk about these social elements in a new setting, much like Brokeback Mountain in a cowboy culture. However, the characters were not developed well enough to make it believable, particularly the mother and the Vivian characters. The 1993 movie Wedding Banquet (Hsi Yen) by Ang Lee was done much better with the Chinese American culture and gay relationship topic, and funnier.I have to say it's disappointing. I had such hope when I got the DVD last night since I missed it when it was in the theater.