Saving Face

2005 "A romantic comedy about right, wrong and everything in between."
7.4| 1h37m| R| en| More Info
Released: 27 May 2005 Released
Producted By: Destination Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: https://www.sonyclassics.com/savingface/
Info

A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Romance

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Saving Face (2005) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Alice Wu

Production Companies

Destination Films

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Saving Face Audience Reviews

Steineded How sad is this?
Dorathen Better Late Then Never
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
sonnygoten I thought this movie had quite a few hilarious comedic beats to it, but the emotional moments were also nicely placed.The movie touches on Chinese American community and family life, as well as generational conflict. At the same time it does not lose itself in the laden subjects, keeping its romantic or humorous side. Ultimately, I found the tone of the movie to be well-balanced.This movie is a mix of romantic comedy and family drama, but at its core the movie is about what it a modern Chinese-American family means, and it executes its vision excellently.
princebansal1982 Saving Face is your usual coming out story about acceptance. There is another side plot thrown in which nicely matches the main story.It has a good story with likable characters. Most of the actors have done a good job. Joan Chen is the only one who shines. I was disappointed with performance of Michelle Krusiec though. She is the main lead and has the maximum screen time. I don't think that she was able to do justice to her character. Though it is billed as a romantic movie, I felt that the romance between the two leads was not fully explored. Despite its flaws, Saving Face is an engaging tale. And if you like romantic movies you should give it a go.
dana_fair 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.
thomasaaa123 I liked the comic touch of the movie, and Michelle Krusiec delivered the comic scenes admirably well. No-nonsense but with a degree of self-awareness, the very lovely Krusiec captured the character Wil perfectly. Joan Chen, unsurprisingly, gave another excellent performance as a stern mother but a defiant daughter. The movie owes much of its success to casting Krusiec and Chen in their respective roles.The story is simple, and even a little clichéd. Tension between social pressure and individualistic pursuits of passion, between conservative norm and following what the heart truly desires. Alice Wu--as a first-time director--was competent, though there's still much room to further refine her craftsmanship. Wu is apparently at her best when shooting intimate scenes (not only the romantically intimate ones) with subtle emotional exchanges and silent communications. But she's weaker in sewing together the scenes--especially toward the end, the movie occasionally feels a little clumsy and lumpy.The late and rather melodramatic revelation of the identity of the baby's father did not help either. The decision to not devote more screen time to developing/explaining the relationship between Ma and the baby's father is certainly a risky one. Depending on perspective, one may feel his/her sympathy toward Ma is taken for granted, or may even feel the very idea the film is advocating is being made fun of. While this subplot is just a subplot complementing the Wil-Vivian relationship, slightly more in-depth treatment is probably warranted especially as a surprise is sprung on the audience.But overall, the acting and sincerity more than compensated the glitches and shortfalls. Often light and funny, humorous but reserved, the movie is another worthy exploration of generation clash.