American Fusion

The comment from liuweichun2002 was unfortunate and misinterpreted. This is not a film about demeaning racial stereotypes any more than MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING was and I don't know of any Greeks who complained about that. FUSION won the audience award at the 2005 Hawaii International Film Festival and was so popular that extra screenings were scheduled. I was there standing in the wings and when it finished I told director Frank Lin that he was going to win the audience award - why? - because the predominantly Asian audience was roaring with laughter throughout. American Fusion IS, like Greek Wedding, a sweet sleeper of a movie that should find a wide audience of any ethnicity. I know I'm going to play it at my theater.

Yvonne (Sylvia Chang) is a Taiwan-born Chinese American who lives with her mother and son in California. Unhappily, Yvonne married the wrong man years ago, which left her financially strapped as the sole provider for her child, now in high school. She works as a reporter for a Chinese-American newspaper and gets constant grief from her grouchy mother. One day, Yvonne goes to interview a dentist for the paper, Dr. Jose (Esai Morales). Its a sort of "like at first sight" between the two of them, for the tooth expert has been unlucky in love as well. But, will a romance be possible between two vastly different cultures, with Yvonne's demanding Oriental family and Jose's equally distinct Hispanic relatives? What a lovely romantic comedy this is, in many ways. First, both of the stars' characters are in their late thirties, out of the normal romcom guidelines. Nevertheless, Chang and Morales are terrific, attractive and talented in their roles. The large supporting cast is also most wonderful. The sets, costumes, photography and secure direction are pleasing, too. Most of all, the script has some important themes and lessons to give about tolerance among diverse groups, which is done subtly well. Are you a fan of the comedy-romance genre but out of new viewing material? Look for this outright winner.

First-time director Frank Lin has fashioned a great little comedy about the difficulties of relationships across cultural and racial boundaries. Yvonne, a Chinese divorcée pushing fifty with a young son pretending to be black, is a virtual household slave to her domineering, old-school mother who constantly demeans her for not being more successful with her life. When she meets a handsome dentist while on assignment doing an interview for a newspaper, her life suddenly regains its promise. But complication arise in the form of not just her mother, but her entire family, who think that a Mexican named Jose is a totally unacceptable match for a Chinese woman. ("Hosin? That means Monkey!") When Yvonne's mother gets a back injury from a massage mishap and needs surgery, Yvonne starts to believe that her chances for romance are indeed over. American Fusion is a very funny film, well written and very well acted. All the characters are believable, and the clash of an ancient Chinese tradition with American reality makes for some very humorous and touching moments. With a cameo from Fabio and excellent work from Frank Morita, this film should be a crossover success, and deserves wide distribution. 8.5/10