Red Doors

This movie is great and has a lot of heart. It focuses on one Asian American family, and of course, each family member has a distinct personality and set of issues. Red Doors is able to touch on these different characters and themes in a substantial and meaningful way. You walk away from the film feeling moved and that it did justice to all the characters and issues they dealt with. Additionally, this movie represents several groups that often do not receive much attention or coverage in Hollywood. For instance, minority groups, specifically Asian Americans are not a prevalent group in film today. Lesbians also do not have many positive representations of them on screen. This movie, however, is able to address both of these groups as well as other issues in a deep and moving way. Everyone should see this movie!

after first seeing the interview with the director and cast etc., i was hopeful that this would be a good film. NOT..... It is just so lame. Characters are not well developed, plot developments are soooo predictable. not one of the three sisters or their parents- become real people for the viewer. I think the screenwriter just tried to cram too many story lines in and could not decide where to focus. The father's story had promise.His scenes provide some entertaining and fun quirkiness; but he was left half formed, as was everyone else. I really cannot imagine WHAT the director et al. thought they were bringing new to the world . Maybe this was their run-through and their next films will be worth watching.For a much more interesting, entertaining film about Chinese American women/family, see the very worthwhile Saving Face.

The story of a Chinese-American family experiencing transition. The father retires, the three daughters make changes in their lives, and the entire family begins to discover their true selves and what truly matters - family and love.

Some of the descriptions call this family bizarrely dysfunctional - but really there is nothing outlandish or extremely unusual going on. Just people finding their way.

The dinner scenes made me wish I was there - so much yummy food prepared lovingly by a caring mother. People from large families that eat together in a traditional way might take it for granted. But those of us whose families never sat and ate together, long for that kind of togetherness (and home-cooked food).

An excellent examination of life from several unique points of view that have not been given this type of treatment before. One can tell if a film is relevant when everyone who sees it takes aways something different from what was apparent to them on the screen whether it be humorous or dramatic. The appreciation of this film will only be tempered by your own experiences. Watch this film more than once and watch the layers unfold. Nothing on the screen is superfluous. One of the most satisfying films I've seen this year.

One of my favorite scenes was when the white guy/boyfriend (which would be me in the same situation)is invited to dinner and the younger sister puts something in his bowl that startles him. The moment is very brief. I thought it was hysterical, from my point of view. However, my wife who is Chinese didn't even notice the moment until we discussed the movie later in the evening. She could only notice the decor, which she though was funnier. Both scenes had the same level of truth. This is why the film is a remarkable achievement.

After viewing this, I was surprised to see on the DVD box that it had won some glowing blurbs and prizes at various festivals.

The script was OK, the situations potentially involving. But the unfocused, often amateurish, performances and occasional jarring attempts at comedy repeatedly broke the reality and brought to mind that old maxim, "There are no bad actors, only bad directors." The performances were mainly incoherent, unnatural. Director Georgia Lee seemed unable to help her actors communicate any steady undercurrent of withheld feelings, in a story that was largely about such. Key characters, mostly men, passed across the screen as unknowable entities.

I watched Red Doors convinced that most of the leads were capable of much better work, even though I'd only seen one, Tzi Ma, in anything else. Glowingly beautiful Mia Riverton, playing an actress, was hammy and false, killing any chemistry in her romantic scenes.

Secondary characters were worse. As the oldest Wong sister, Sam, Jacqueline Kim had the largest part and gave the most coherent, recognizably human performance. But the acting of the men playing her love interests was awful. Her old crush, a whispery-voiced high-school music teacher--an intended dreamboat--was wretchedly portrayed by a kid with suspiciously plucked eyebrows who looked about half her age and didn't sing well.

Extra points off for being set in and around New York City, ostensibly, yet establishing no NYC ambiance or locales.

So directing movies, it turns out, is like conducting a symphony, or performing rap, or brain surgery--it only takes one bad practitioner to prove that skill makes a difference.