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| The Joy Luck Club | 
 enlarge | Director: Wayne Wang
Actors: Kieu Chinh, Tsai Chin, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu, Ming-na
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Category: DVD
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £4.98
You Save: £11.01 (69%)
New (8) from £4.73
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 18743
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), Finnish (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running Time: 133 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5017188811378
ASIN: B0001MIQMG
Theatrical Release Date: 1993
Release Date: May 10, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Not just a woman's weepie! September 1, 2008
This film, initially discovered part-way through on a rare French TV showing, must certainly rank as one of my favourites. It is one that I can watch over and over again without feeling bored. Everything is great in this film - the actresses, young, old and even the small children, the beautiful scenery, the emotions, a few comic moments to relieve the tension and definitely not least, the wonderful music. The final scene never fails to start a tear welling in my eye. I don't know if it is a faithful representation of the book which inspired it, but it stands up on its own two feet as a marvellous piece of cinema. I would certainly recommend it.
Beautiful June 13, 2008
I watched this not expecting too much because I had neither heard of it or read the book it was based on. Imagine my extreme pleasure to find a true gem of a film with perfect cast performances. It tells the stories of four older women who relate their earlier lives to their daughters, ( and us), in a truly beautiful way. It was believable, poignant , heart wrenching and happy all at once. The early years are depicted very well, probably my favourite parts of the film. You can't help but be drawn in by what these women went through. It had me in tears more than once. If you liked Memoirs Of A Geisha or How To Make An American Quilt then this is a film for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's a definite keeper in my opinion. Sit back and enjoy!
 Unpleasant and unrealistic January 1, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Was I watching the same film as the other reviewers? Toe-curlingly sentimental, the Joy Luck Club portrays a two-dimensional world where all men are caricatured as rapists, bullies, adulterers and monsters, and the women stoically bear their burdens and find solace in each other. And yet, surprisingly, few of the female characters invite much sympathy; I really couldn't give a damn what had happened to them in the past, or what the future might hold.
And don't expect to learn much about China from this film, or the Chinese-American diaspora... reality isn't something the director (and, for all I know, Amy Tan) seems to have much truck with. Instead we are treated to world of fairytales, peopled by ogres, wicked stepmothers and battered brides, with only occasional insights into real relationships.
Overlong, dull, poorly acted and unimaginatively directed, the film still manages to leave an unpleasant aftertaste.
Heart-Breaking and Joyful Family Relationships November 9, 2006
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
This film reveals the complex mother-daughter relationships of four Chinese families whose roots from the past intertwine within the present causing conflicts and misunderstandings in their lives. Once the stories from the past are told and understood within the context of ancient Chinese culture and values, the mother-daughter bonds of love become even stronger and indestructable.
The stories of the four mothers are told from the cultural viewpoint of the past as flashbacks throughout the film. The viewer learns boys are more revered than girls, a daughter is given in an arranged marriage to a boy from a wealthy family and she is expected to be obedient to her husband and servile to her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law expects a grandchild and blames the daughter-in-law for failing to produce offspring, not recognizing or accepting her son's part in the problem. This particular story was cleverly resolved and had a happy ending due to the creative efforts of the daughter-in-law who used superstition, religion, and cultural values to get out of this unhappy marriage. In another life story, a young attractive daughter is raped by a wealthy businessman, her parents disown her not believing this story. They thought she allowed herself to be seduced due to his wealth. To sustain herself, she became his fourth wife, a concubine but also produced a son, an heir ...whom the first wife took ownership of, as if he were her son. The real mother was not allowed near her own child. Eventually, she proved herself a worthy daughter by a sacrificial ceremony done for her dying mother. Later she reunitd with her first child, a daughter, whom she raised within the businessman's household where the mother enacted an even more heartbreaking sacrifice ...
All the stories from the past are connected in some way with the problems the Chinese daughter's are experiencing in their adult lives. Through flashbacks in time, each daughter recalls her own past and how she felt pushed to do things for her mother, trying to please her, yet feeling unworthy. The film blends the stories of all the characters in a very creative and unique manner helping the viewer understand how the context of Chinese culture became the foundation of love on which all their lives are based.
June one of the American-raised Chinese daughters begins telling her story and the relationhship and conflicts with her mother who had recently passed away. The roots of the misunderstandings become more clear as the viewer learns about June's mother's life in China ... June learns the expectations her mother had for her, the hopes and dreams for her American daughter were part of an unresolved loss her mother never spoke about to June. June learns about a very painful experience in her mother's life which forced her to make decisions no mother should have to make ... However, due to a letter written by Auntie Lindo to June's relatives in China, June is reunited with her mother's secret past. This is the point where everyone who views the film will need a handkerchief or tissues... Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
Moving and Inspiring June 3, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Joy Luck Club is one of the most moving films I have seen in recent years. Each of the stories is beautifully told and very well acted. The cinematography is excellent. A warm, compassionate and very moving film.
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