A cultural revolution that's all in the family
Walter Addiego, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, June 3, 2005 (SF Chronicle)

Saving Face. Comedy. Written and directed by Alice Wu. With Michelle
Krusiec, Joan Chen and Lynn Chen. (Rated R. 97 minutes. At the
Embarcadero.)

Fairly well along in "Saving Face," a middle-aged Chinese American woman
is looking for an Asian movie at the video store. She spots "The Last Emperor, " and next to it "The Joy Luck Club." The rest of the boxes on the shelf have images of young Asian women in various stages of undress. It's a funny and pointed comment on how Asians have fared in Hollywood, and it's a pretty good example of writer-director Alice Wu's sensibility and talent. She's created an affable comedy (with some serious notes) about three generations of Chinese Americans in New York struggling with issues of family honor.

The central figure is the youngest, 28-year-old Wilhelmina (Michelle
Krusiec), a successful resident surgeon who doesn't want her family to
know she has a female lover, Vivian (Lynn Chen). Meanwhile, Wilhelmina's
widowed mom (Joan Chen), 48, shocks everyone by turning up pregnant and
refusing to name the father. She is quickly banished by the family patriarch --
a stern type who remembers the Cultural Revolution -- and
moves in with her daughter.

This is the stuff of soap operas (and at one point the movie even
acknowledges as much), but Wu leavens it all with nice comic moments,
especially the scenes at a Chinese banquet hall where the daughter is
expected to dance with would-be, and definitely unwanted, male suitors.
These guys, and the parental pressure involved, would repel her even if
she were straight. A string of gossipy comments by almost everyone in
attendance pokes mild fun at traditional Chinese American social
customs. Once mom is installed in Wilhelmina's apartment, assorted comic and
non-comic complications follow. Wilhelmina's girlfriend is an accomplished
ballerina who has a shot at a terrific job in Paris, and begins
pressuring her to go public about their relationship. Meanwhile, Mom suffers
through a string of blind dates -- this is a universal topic of comedy, but Wu
gives it a good spin specific to the family's culture.

There are weaknesses here. Some of the humor has a sitcom ring, and
the upbeat ending seems imposed on the material. But Wu accomplishes a lot
for a first-timer, and she shows glimpses of a real movie-lover's
perspective (check out her parody of the conclusion of "The Graduate"). The picture is nicely cast, and generally well acted, even with a few non-professionals
in the credits. In particular, Joan Chen registers strongly as the unwed
mom caught between two generations.

"Saving Face" had screenings this year at Sundance and at the San
Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

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Copyright 2005 SF Chronicle