My American Vacation

i am truly delighted that vv dachin hsu brought to screen 'my american vacation.' i am familiar with other works by the actors and the music director. the film was well paced at 1.5 hrs. wonderfully entertaining because i have experienced a very similar vacation so i laughed through half the film. beulah quo, tsai chin, dennis dun, roger fan, sasha hsuczyk, kim miyori, deborah nishimura - the actors 'fit' their roles perfectly. joel iwataki's music was truly special and gave the film 'magic.' the overall energy of the film was so embracing i felt like part of the vacation. i recommend it to all who just want to be wonderfully entertained by three generations of family, from two continents, vacationing together in a very very small space.

In a rare opportunity for the entire family to spend the first time together in a long while, a grandmother, her two daughters, joined by their families, take a motor home trip in the Rockies. This wizened Chinese grandmother (played by Tsai Chin, who was the original Suzy Wong in the London West End world premiere of "The World Of Suzy Wong"), is replete with the calming influences of eastern meditative arts and cleverly finds subtle ways to get through to her feuding Chinese-American daughters, even when counsel and reprimand fail. This film, which received positive reviews at the film festivals, is rich with inspiring open country cinematography and an abundance of running waters. The scenes of this comedy/drama are pleasantly enhanced with a moving sound track. The movie subtly ends the same way it begins, with Grandma performing her beloved Tai Chi. Only this time she is doing it with her daughters.

I totally enjoyed this vacation captured by filmmaker VV Hsu. A film about three generations of women with mother played by Tsai Chin (whom I loved in the Joy Luck Club)coming from China to take a real "American Vacation" with two sibling sisters and a 7-year old granddaughter as well as one lonely 'husband' in the cramped quarters of an RV - you can only imagine some of the conflicts that arise.

The complex and interesting relationship between these three generations of women as well as the side-show relationship of the two sisters cuts across all ethnic lines and this could be any family on a vacation - we can all relate to these relationships. And these women really kick up a storm in this movie.

I especially enjoyed some of the quiet moments of the trips as each would go off by themselves to capture private moments. At the end of this film I truly felt as if I too had been on a vacation.

And the post cards and letters that Tsai Chin's character wrote to her friends back in China about the successes of her family (in direct contrast to what was actually happening) was hilarious. It was especially wonderful to see one of her friends in China played by talented actress Beulah Quo - she radiates her charm in this cameo role and brings the friends alive in their letters from their friend from America.

There are so few films that address matters of the heart and things that matter. This one moved me to those deep soft places in your heart that you keep hidden to the world. When you see this film it takes us to our own families with our lost dreams, jealousies and hidden desires and helps us to seek our own hidden treasures - you suddenly feel your heart wild and alive again.

When you feel you really need time out - need a vacation, watch My American Vacation the scenes are beautiful and Hsu captures the mood of vacationing and seeing the countryside in an RV - you will feel you have been on a majestic and beautiful trip on the inside as well as on the outside!

Even the presence of well known stage actress Tsai Chin fails to save this movie that starts brightly but tails off into a mundane and predictable fare. The story centers on Grandma Lee's(Tsai Chin) visit to the US to see the families of her two Chinese daughters, Ming Yee and Ming Na, played ironically by two Japanese actresses, Kim Miyori and Deborah Nishimura.

The whole gang then decides to take a vacation by driving a caravan to the rocky mountains in Colorado. It's not the destination that is important but the opportunity for all of them to spend 'quality time' together. Grandma and her two daughters discover that they really don't know one another. The two sisters bicker throughout but a near tragic accident brings the family together again.

This movie starts with a refreshing comedic feel that raises a few good chuckles, but sadly this deteriorates badly once the maudlin and sentimental stuff came along. The conclusion is an anti-climax and you just don't feel like you've watched anything worthwhile, unlike the excellent Ang Lee film 'Eat Drink Man Woman', which was both funny and heartwarming.

I found this to be a very touching film about a Chinese-American family that makes new discoveries about themselves when they take a vacation together. VV Dachin Hsu, the writer-director, must be applauded for having the strength to write and produce a film about a Chinese- American family, and if more people had her vision, then maybe there would be more and better roles for all Asian - American actors. The cast in My American Vacation, are all proven veterans of film and stage that help bring the story to life. We feel their pain, we feel their joy. Their acting coupled with an evocative and inventive score, composed by Joel Iwataki, has me waiting in anticipation of Ms. Hsu's next film.