SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

‘The Farewell’ is a great film based on the true story of a lie

Jul 19, 2019, 12:35 PM

The Farewell was a huge hit at Sundance and has won numerous critical awards so far, and it comes out with a tremendous amount of fanfare. I think that the producers at A24 are hoping that this will replicate the spectacular success of Crazy Rich Asians. I give The Farewell three stars out of four.

One of my few hesitations about what is otherwise a wonderful film is that they did the subtitles in such a way that many of the subtitles appear against a very light background, so it’s hard to read them.

With that minor reservation, however, this is a great film that’s very moving and original. It’s an autobiographical film by a filmmaker named Lulu Wang who is obviously enormously talented. This film will probably net her a best director Academy Award nomination, and there could be some acting nominations as well.

‘John Wick 3’ is a one-dimensional killing machine

Some films say they’re based on a true story, but this film is based on an actual lie. Well, this film is based on a true story of an actual lie. The lie begins when the grandmother is in the hospital getting examined, and her younger sister is told that this old lady has only three months to live.

The decision is made not to tell her — which apparently is somewhat common in China — so she can live out her life as nicely as possible. In the movie they they arrange a wedding where the whole family is going to be reunited with family from around the world. Her two sons have gone to live in Japan, and one daughter has gone to live in New York City, and it’s the New York daughter — who came over to New York when she was six — who confronts the family with her broken Chinese and different culture, and thinks they ought to tell grandma about her condition.

‘The Hustle’ has amusing cons, but the victims are too cartoonish

The film is enormously compelling and all of the characters come across vividly. None of the actors are household names but they should be because they’re all extraordinarily gifted. You feel like you know this family; you know the aunt and you know the uncle and you know the mother and the father and certainly the grandmother, who comes across very vividly.

The wedding sequence is a classic wedding sequence with very different traditions, including a drinking game that I imagine will gain some popularity.

A side note: This film which is all about family and people trying to be nice to one another. Given the fact that most of the week I’m spent talking about American politics, this was a very welcome antidote. And maybe if some politicians go to see it they can affirm just some of the the rules of civility and decency and “Come let us reason together,” which would be great to re-establish in the United States.

FILE - An electronic price tag is displayed at a Kroger grocery store Nov. 13, 2024, in Monroe, Ohi...

Associated Press

Consumer apprehension grows as US retailers adopt AI-assisted pricing tools

U.S. consumers aren’t just frustrated with high prices. They’re angry and confused about the increasingly high-tech ways that restaurant chains and major retailers are setting those prices. Digital price tags are rapidly replacing paper ones in grocery aisles. Artificial intelligence tools help businesses decide what to charge by predicting how customers might respond. Terms like […]

49 minutes ago

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky Un...

Associated Press

Trump’s new pitch for Republican candidates — they’re really good looking

President Donald Trump has a new pitch for Republican candidates: they’re easy on the eyes. “Look at this beautiful guy,” Trump said at a Saturday rally in Kentucky, referring to U.S. House candidate Ed Gallrein, a former U.S. Navy SEAL with an angular face who stood nearby the stage. “Central casting.” That’s a common refrain […]

4 hours ago

Vice President JD Vance speaks at a midterm campaign rally at the LevelUp Training Complex in Monro...

Associated Press

Vance faces tough questions on Iran war, immigration and more in CBS town hall

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Vice President JD Vance faced tough questions from voters about the Trump administration’s policies on data centers, high costs, immigration and his own rhetoric in a town hall on CBS News that aired Saturday night. The string of sharp queries, some from voters who said they had supported him […]

4 hours ago

A person places flowers at a makeshift memorial on the other side of Silver Rail Elementary School ...

Associated Press

As an Oregon community mourns 4 killed in school shooting, 2 wounded survivors remain hospitalized

BEND, Oregon (AP) — A special-needs teacher and student wounded in a deadly shooting at an Oregon elementary school remained hospitalized Saturday. But friends said their survival was a spot of hope in a community in mourning. The youngest shooting survivor, 7-year-old Saylor Graham, is a feisty, vibrant fighter with a sweet nature whose story […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Vehicle drives through soccer field during game in Kansas, killing 2 and injuring more

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A person drove a vehicle through a soccer field during a game in Kansas on Saturday, killing two people and sending multiple other victims to the hospital, authorities said. One child and one adult were killed, Wichita police reported, without disclosing their ages. Police said the driver was in custody but […]

9 hours ago

A firefighters works to put out a fire on a house engulfed in flames during the Norte Fire on Frida...

Associated Press

Fire crews battle Southern California blaze that burned 6 homes, led to the evacuation of 16,000

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews in Southern California worked Saturday to contain a wind-driven blaze that charred hills and burned at least six large coastal homes, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people. Hundreds of firefighters worked through the night on a blaze burning on the hills that straddle the coastal cities […]

9 hours ago

‘The Farewell’ is a great film based on the true story of a lie