Double Happiness

While the title is something of a misnomer, this well-written, superbly acted coming-of-age tale is undoubtedly one of the best films of its genre. It is unique, original, funny, intelligent, beautiful, and inspiring. In short, it is Canadian. Sandra Oh, one of the most emotionally devastating actresses of our time, plays liberated dreamer Jade Li who hopes to escape the suffocating environment of her over-bearing parents' expectations and become an actress.

Double Happiness delves into all of its components with equal sensitivity and skill. Jade is the very essence of youth's wanderlust and creative vitality, her parents the quintessential picture of over-protective cultural transplants. Jade's young sister Pearl is the go-between, lovingly supportive of her sister's blossoming talent while resentful of the rift it creates within the family. Already rent from their disowned brother (who committed similar indiscretions), Jade must walk the thin line between traditional Chinese values and enlightened Canadian independence. While quietly entertaining her dramatic ambitions, she begins to kindle a forbidden love affair with a young Caucasian man which ultimately forces her to choose between loyalty to her father and loyalty to her own dreams.

If you are like me and expect a literal interpretation of the title, the ending will leave you wondering exactly who came up with it and where you might write to his or her employers to ask to have him or her severely reprimanded, but this in no way diminishes the fine accomplishments by the cast and crew in making Double Happiness a work of cinematic art. Callum Keith Rennie as Jade's lover is heart-breakingly perfect in his first major feature role and Sandra Oh is nothing short of Oscar-worthy--but I guess Genies will have to do for now.

This is an excellent movie portraying the struggle of any Asian child: personal goals over family expectations. Every one of us go through Jade's life and it's a very challenging goal. It's impossible to please yourself and please your family at the same time. As an Asian kid myself, I strongly advise for you to do whatever makes you happy.

This was a cute, sweet small movie about a Chinese-Canadian woman caught between her dreams and her father's expectations. Complaints about the film center on what some see as the director's one-sided depiction of the anti-assimilation viewpoint. Jade's father is so concerned that his children live within the constricts of traditional Chinese culture that he cuts off contact with them entirely if they stray. But Mina Shum (the director) never claims that his rigidity is the rule; the story is about how Jade deals with the specific situation, and it makes no claim that her situation is pervasive. Other Asian characters have different levels of acceptance of Western openness: Jade's mother, while not openly defying her husband, maintains contact with her son whom his father has cut off completely. So "Double Happiness" isn't an anti-Asian traditionalism screed, as some have claimed, neither is it an Everywoman story of freedom as some seem to want it to be. It's simply Jade's story about choosing between her dreams and the man she's falling in love with against her father's uncompromising worldview.

Mechanically, the movie is good if not a masterpiece. The performances are excellent. Sandra Oh is charged with almost singlehandedly winning over the viewer, and she's completely up to the challenge. All performances are (as far as I can tell anyway) wonderfully authentic. This was Callum Keith Rennie's first major role, and he's as awkward, sweet, and appealing as ever. The interstitial scenes of characters speaking to the camera are an interesting experiment--a good tool for revealing character, they nevertheless are sometimes jarring. Overall, the film is like a compact colorful flower: it won't dominate the landscape but it richly awards the lucky soul whose attention it captures.

Double Happiness is a very realistic look at Asian family values and personal values. Sandra Oh as the cheeky Jade Li was excellent. The actor that played her first date Andrew was great too. I was amused at the outcome of this pairing.I was very impressed by Callum Rennie, who played Jade's caucasian boyfriend Mark. There's a quite funny scene between these two that involves a talk about bad clam chowder and "fascist" bouncers. The chemistry/tension between Jade and Mark was great. The rest of the family was great too. Truly a must see movie about relationships.

This movie was an interesting look into the life of a Chinese family in North America. I think the characters were written and portrayed in a believable, sensitive manner. The subtle, reserved, underplaying of the parents I think is sometimes mistaken as one-dimensionality, but really reflects a traditional and reserved nature that they were trying to maintain. Their expectations for their now westernized children, and the dilemmas that arise, are also evidence of that. It is not a case of right versus wrong, but novel versus traditional. As for the conflict of introducing Jade Li's main love interest as a Caucasian, I also don't believe that was intended to pit white people as good versus Asian people as bad. I think that the juxtaposition of the two lifestyles presents Jade's two major conflicts: her desire to lead a more Western life, with freedom to make many non-traditional choices, and her feelings of love, respect, and loyalty toward her traditional parents, whom she would not want to bring shame or betrayal. A life with one of the Asian suitors would symbolize her choice to remain under the guidelines of restraint her heritage suggests and their families demand.

One aspect I feel especially overlooked about this film dealt with Jade's big audition with the woman from Hong Kong. While Jade was brought up in a Chinese home in North America, she could understand and speak some Cantonese, but had many Western interests. But because she could not read Cantonese, this duality did not bring the success one might hope having the benefits of two cultures would bring. As the child of an Asian father and American mother (but raised almost entirely American, I'll admit), I found that scene very interesting.

I think this film was wonderful, and that one need not have a particular interest in Asian families to appreciate the family and social relationships, conflicts, and hopes portrayed in Double Happiness.